Healthy Roasted Red Pepper Dip & Homemade Flax Chips

I am currently involved in a torrid love affair with bell peppers. That might be an extreme way to put it…but I adore them. Always have. They are my number one veggie.

Much to my dismay, my husband isn’t the biggest fan. He’ll only eat them IN something, and I usually don’t mention that they’re in whatever it is he’s eating. He can ALWAYS pick them out, though. There’s no fooling him. He’ll take one bite of a pasta dish that has eight other things going on, and he’ll look at me and say “There’s red pepper in this, isn’t there?” Sigh. Luckily, he’s a pretty good sport and just picks his way around them. Which works out perfectly for me. I get all his picked over peppers. Doesn’t sound very exciting, does it?

Even my husband, though, liked this red pepper dip. It’s bright and sweet and spicy. All my favorite things in one bite. Best part? It’s pretty healthy. Lots of creamy dips like this rely heavily on mayo or sour cream, and while there IS some mayo in this version, I cut it with good ol’ nonfat Greek yogurt.

All the other flavors totally make up for the low-fat nature of this dip. It’s so good. Sweet peppers. Spicy horseradish. Tangy mustard. All whipped together until creamy.

I chose to serve this dip with some homemade chips. You can use whatever you have on hand…pita chips, crackers, or even regular tortilla chips. All will be delicious. I just wanted to turn things up a bit and try my hand at a spiced up chip. They came out SO good. Tons of nutty and savory flavor in each bite.

In the end, I’m not sure which I like better…the dip or the chips. They both are stellar, and even better paired together!

This is a snack you can feel good about eating. Which is great for me…I ate most of it by myself in one sitting….

 

 

Healthy Roasted Red Pepper Dip & Homemade Flax Chips        (makes 6 servings)

For the Dip:

1 cup roasted red peppers, patted dry

⅓ cup mayonnaise

⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons horseradish (or to taste)

Pinch of sugar (if needed)

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

For the Chips:

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

Olive oil cooking spray (I use my Misto for this)

 

For the Dip:

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached. I like mine pretty smooth, so I process it a lot. Check seasonings, adjust as necessary, and transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for at least an hour (the longer it sits, the better the flavors will develop). Serve chilled or at room temperature.

 

For the Chips:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the tortillas into quarters and then into quarters again (you’ll end up with 8 chips per tortilla). Spread them out in an even layer on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Combine the flaxseed, herbs, and spices in a small bowl and mix well with your fingers. Generously sprinkle over the chips, flip over, and coat the other side with cooking spray and then the seasoning.

Bake for 5-8 minutes, flip over, and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving with the dip. They will crisp even more as they cool.

 

Chip recipe adapted from here.