Oh I wish, I wish, I wish I would have thought of this one myself! It’s genius! If you like the flavors of Mediterranean food, you’ll love this layer dip! It’s super easy to make. I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, so when people come over, I am able to make it in just minutes. Thank you to Dara of Cookin’ Canuck for creating this brilliant recipe that I have used over and over again.

 -Tammy

Health tips:  diabetes-friendly*

Layer-Dip Ingredients (serves at least 4 people):

• 8 oz. hummus (see recipe below)
• 1 tomato, diced
• ½ cup diced cucumber
• ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• ⅛ tsp salt (optional)
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 2 canned artichoke hearts, chopped (or you can use the frozen kind, which I find at Trader Joe’s)
• 2 roasted red peppers (4 halves), diced (you can make your own, or just use the jarred peppers)
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley
• Kalamata olives, chopped
• Peppercini’s , sliced or chopped

Hummus Ingredients:

• 15 ounce can chickpeas drained
• ¼ cup tahini (this is like peanut butter, but made with sesame seeds)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1-3 cloves garlic, minced (depending on how garlicky you like it)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste (optional)

Instructions:

If your’re pressed for time, you an always buy store-bought hummus. 🙂

To make the hummus, add the first 4 ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil until desired consistency (you may want to use a little less or more than 2 tablespoons). Taste, then add a little salt at a time. That’s it! It’s super easy to make hummus! (Side-note: I personally do not add salt because the can of chickpeas already contain salt. Plus you get salt from the kalamata olives.) Now you can assemble the dip…

1. In an 8- by 8- square serving dish, spread the hummus evenly on the bottom. Layer the tomatoes and cucumber over top.
2. Dollop the yogurt over the vegetables, then gently spread with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the yogurt with salt (optional) and paprika.
3. On top of the yogurt, layer the artichoke heart, roasted red peppers, peppercini’s and feta cheese. Sprinkle the parsley over top.
4. Serve with fresh vegetables (like celery, carrots, and cucumbers), pita chips, whole-wheat pita bread, or crackers.

This recipe is so perfect, I never change a thing when I make it (I have added peppercini’s because my husband LOVES them).  Try making your own hummus, it’s waaaay cheaper and you are able to control the quality of ingredients!

*If you are diabetic, I suggest eating this dip with veggies instead of the crackers, pita chips, and pita bread.