Without any research or fact-finding, I can state categorically: Everyone loves dips.

And what does everyone like to dip? Everything.

I’ve come up with 5 Delicious Dips that take minutes to prepare and are perfect for anything you want to submerge in deliciousness. Most are healthy. One is particularly decadent, but c’mon… it’s a dip… not a meal.

Ready to take the plunge? Let’s go…

5 Delicious Dips

 

 

Who said that healthy eating means boring same-old-same-old eating? No! 

Here’s a great way to eat healthy without piling on extra fat or calories: steam your fish in banana leaves!

Wait… you’ve never heard of cooking with banana leaves? In many parts of Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, food is wrapped in banana leaves and then barbecued, baked or steamed. The leaves add a subtle, exotic flavor, unlike parchment paper or foil. Banana leaves are also known as plantain leaves.

Banana leaves are particularly handy when it comes to steaming fish because fillets often fall apart in a steamer. Using the banana leaves not only helps the fillets keep their shape, but if you add vegetables, you’ve got a meal in a packet. Handy-dandy, wouldn’t you say? Click here for the recipe.

You can find banana leaves in ethnic markets or large supermarkets and they are usually frozen. You can also  order online here.

Ginger Garlic Fish in Banana Leaves is a great “first recipe” if  you’ve never cooked with banana leaves. Get creative! Substitute chopped chicken, beef or pork for the fish and add whatever veggies you have on hand. The cooking time will change, so adjust the recipe as needed.

I have a friend who leads a boneless, skinless, boring existence.

She hasn’t let herself have the pleasure of eating a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast in years because she thinks they’re full of fat, hard to cook and, well, boney.

Oh… what she’s missing.

Making bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts is one of the easiest and most flavorful weeknight meals you can prepare. While the chicken cooks, you can put on your comfy pants, go through your mail and play a couple of rounds of Quiz Up.

You can season bone-in, skin-on breasts with whatever you have on hand… a shake of barbecue spice (like mine) or even a simple rub of olive oil, salt and black pepper. The bone gives the chicken added flavor and keeps it moist and juicy. I strongly recommend using an instant-read thermometer so you don’t overcook the meat!

Oh, one other thing… bone-in breasts are also less expensive, so you may want to buy few extra and cook them at the same time. Later in the week you can pull the skin off, shred the meat off the bone and have another great dinner!

 

 

Are you ready for a totally different spin on the backyard grilling experience?

This is it: Well Done Social Grill by Unikia. It’s a charcoal tabletop grill that lets you be your own grillmaster.

If you’ve ever eaten at a Korean barbecue restaurant where the grill is built right into the table, it’s a little like that. Meat and veggies are roasted right in front of you… except now you’re the chef!

I grill all the time, but I have to tell you, it’s so much more fun when everyone gets in on the act. GP used it when he had a few friends over and it was perfect, because each one of them fancies himself an “expert” at grilling. The Social BBQ Grill enables everyone to cook things to their own taste—and have a lot of laughs doing it.

Here’s how it works: you place the streamlined grill on a table and fill up the charcoal basket. When the coals a glowing ashen gray color, let everyone have a go at grilling the food.

It’s not complicated—that’s the beauty of it! And it’s nearly impossible NOT to talk with everyone as you’re grilling! This is interactive cooking at its best.

The Social Grill is made of carbon steel with a high heat resistant powder coating so it is perfectly safe for a wooden table. Unikia doesn’t recommend using it on a plastic table, but if you do, make sure you protect the surface with something heat proof underneath the grill.

The Social Grill is 35”x 8”x 11”, so you know it’s plenty big for 6 people to grill at the same time. It’s kind of heavy, though, so you might need someone to help you put it on the table (I did).

I’m so happy my pals at Unikia sent me this grill to try out because it’s  going to be a great addition to our outdoor party traditions. We’re having a house full of people for Lollapalooza this weekend, so I’m going to set it up and let everyone make their own s’mores and grilled fruit!

I can’t wait!
Here’s a video of the Social Grill in Action! Buy the Social Grill here!