Sneaky Healthy Hostess: Cava Dips

There are pretty few and far between packaged dips I like. ESPECIALLY when it's something I can make myself at home. Usually, packaged dip options are way too high in fat and sodium for anyone's good...and it's all the name of an absence of creativity (the human palate loves the taste of fat but flavor also comes from awesome spices and citrus) and wanting a longer shelf life instead of making fresh batches. But that's not the actual deal with Cava dips. 

You may have seen a few weeks ago I had lunch with Cava (okay, the girl behind Cava's social accounts) and I was really impressed with their offering. Hands down, I can tell you it's a great place to grab a healthy lunch if you order the right things. While Cava has several restaurants in the DC area (and hint-hint, they may be expanding), they're more nationally known for their Cava Foods line, which includes these dips among others. All of these dips are artificial additive free and preservative free and are handmade in small batches. Their hummuses are also organic.

Harissa: Okay, holy cow. My husband single handedly wolfed down this harissa. He ate it with everything from nachos to toast. This tomato and red pepper dip is spicy and delicious with a gorgeous whipped, buttery texture.  Instead of serving it plain (or eating it out of the container), mix it in with another dip. This paired to per-fec-tion with my Eggplant Haters Dip recipe! Swirl in about 1-2 tablespoons. Another recommendation is to fold it into an omelette. 

Crazy Feta: This is my personal favorite. Sure, you can eat it plain or crumble it into a salad, but really what this feta needs is roasted Mexican street corn. To roast corn in your oven, place the corn, in the husks directly on the oven rack (mid-level) and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Remove from the oven and using a dish towel, strip the husk and silks from the corn. Add a little butter and crazy feta. Glorious. 

We also tried the traditional hummus and...well, that didn't last long enough to develop into a recipe. #Honesty. If you're an East Coaster, you're in luck! You have lots of store locations to pick from. See one near you, here.