I’m a big snacker. Sweet, savory, salty, sour – whatever the flavour profile you can be sure I’ve had a craving for it at some point. I live for that time between lunch and dinner where I start to get that familiar gnawing at my stomach but it’s not quite time for dinner yet, and I can peruse my pantry for a bite of this or a handful of that. And while my preferences do change week to week, there is one snack that has a permanent spot in my top three snacks – chips and dip.
The pairing of a salty, crispy chip and a savory, saucy dip is a marriage made in heaven. The possibilities are also truly endless – you have tortilla chips and tangy salsas or cheesy quesos, potato chips and creamy, garlicky dips, or something really funky like a kale chip paired with a dill dip (the only way to eat a kale chip, in my opinion). Let me be clear – I will never turn down any of the above, however there is, in my opinion, a duo that cannot be beat and that is a salted kettle cooked chip and a creamy, oniony dip. Before coming up with this recipe, my dip of choice was the dip-a-chip French Onion Dip, which if you have never had the pleasure of trying is a deliciously savoury, flavourful, and rich dip that frustratingly was only sold in 8 oz containers that could be consumed in a single sitting with very little effort. Growing up in a house of snackers, a tub of the stuff would never last long.
As I got older and started thinking more about the foods I was consuming and how to better fuel my body, one of the first things I said goodbye to was my beloved chip dip. Upon reviewing the ingredients, I found that I only knew maybe 3 or 4 of the ingredients listed on the packaging and decided that it was time to make a change, and so began my journey of trying to find an adequate substitute.
After fruitlessly trying to trick my brain into thinking eating cucumber rounds dipped into greek yogurt was a suitable substitute for my salty, savory ideal snack I decided to get real with myself. Nothing “healthy” would ever fulfill this craving I had, but maybe something “healthier” could. I started brainstorming ideas on how to get that same satisfying bite and thought about what made the Chip-a-Dip dip so addictive – the creaminess, the bites of onion scattered throughout, a slight tang and a rich, silky mouthfeel. In the preliminary stages of developing this recipe I tried it with a variety of different bases – greek yogurt, sour cream, even cream cheese – but nothing really came close until I started playing around with mixing a few of these elements around. The final mix of greek yogurt, sour cream, pickle brine and mayonnaise provides the perfect mix of fattiness, tangyness and richness without being too heavy.
Once I had the base down, I got to work on the add-ins and flavours. Re-checking the ingredients list to some of my favourite chip dips I noticed in terms of flavours, there wasn’t really much listed. Your basic salt, pepper, and onion flakes, sometimes with the inclusion of garlic sometimes without. I decided to go in a similar direction and keep it simple, starting with finely diced yellow onion (you could go sweeter with a vidalia, or sharper with a red onion), a healthy amount of black pepper and garlic powder, and less salt, because the pickle brine already adds a good amount of salt into the base mixture. Now with these additions you have a pretty solid onion dip as is, but adding a small amount of fresh chopped parsley not only adds a welcome freshness to the dip but also adds a certain visual appeal.
And there you have it – a healthier but just as satisfying dip that is the perfect pairing for chips, crudities, crackers – I’ve even used it as a dip for pizza and breadsticks when I’m feeling particularly indulgent. Perfectly salty and savory, it’s the perfect way to curb those snacky urges when they arise using staple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen at this very moment.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp pickle brine
2 tbsp finely diced white onion
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp of salt (can add more to taste if desired)
Method:
- Finely chop half a white onion by using a knife to cut horizontal and vertical cuts into the onion before slicing to get a fine dice, or alternatively use a food processor and blend the onion until you have small, uniform pieces (be careful to not over process if using this method).
- Finely chop your parsley and combine with the onion in a small bowl.
- In the same bowl, add your yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, and spices.
- Mix thoroughly to combine.
- Add the pickle brine and mix one more time. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.
Notes:
- If you find the onion to be too strong, you can soak them in ice water for about 10 minutes before rinsing them off and patting them dry which should remove some of the bite.
- For a sweeter, french onion dip you can carmelize the onions in some olive oil and let them cool before proceeding with the recipe as written.
- If you don’t have fresh parsley on hand, you can use dry, just half the amount.
- The dip will keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days in an air-tight container, and about 2 hours at room temperature.
xx,
girlwhocooks
