Trio of Brain-Hacked Dips

Can I just say… I love a good dip. They are an easy snack to have with vegetable sticks, crackers, topped on a salad or in a buddha bowl. I also love the ease of making them. Cooking, or in this case “blending”, isn’t an exact science like baking is. When I’m following a recipe I’ve made before, and it doesn’t involve baking, I often eyeball the amounts and don’t stress over getting exactly one cup of this or a teaspoon of that. You can also stay true to these recipes or try and switch it up! Add more garlic if you like, use lime juice instead of lemon, or switch out the fresh herbs for others like parsley, basil, or oregano.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that most of my clients have the hardest time coming up with snack ideas. This is why I decided to give you a recipe that, is really, three recipes in one! These dips were created with your brain health in mind. They are loaded with whole, clean & nourishing ingredients to help increase your energy, improve cognitive function, and encourage an anxious-free mind.

You can try all three of these dips at once, or double one of the recipes to have with veggies for your afternoon snack all week.

Trio of Brain-Hacked Dips

Yield: 8-10
Author: Danielle Cockerill, CHN

Ingredients

Rosemary Garlic Hummus
  • 1 cup chickpeas, canned or cooked from dry*
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary (or ½ tsp dried), stems removed and finely chopped
  • 1-2 clove garlic, pressed (depending how you like it)
  • ½ lemon, juiced (1-2 tbsp)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Pinch Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
  • 1-3 tbsp water
  • Optional: fresh rosemary for garnish
Dilly Beet Dip
  • 1 cup white navy beans, canned or cooked from dry*
  • 1 medium-large, cooked beet**
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 2-3 Tbsp fresh dill (or 1 tbsp dried), roughly chopped
  • Optional: fresh dill for garnish
Creamy Cilantro Walnut Dip
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • ¼ -⅓ cup goat kefir
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Pinch Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
  • Optional: fresh cilantro and chopped walnuts for garnish

Instructions

  1. Turnip the Beet. Put on your favourite playlist & have a 2-minute kitchen dance party.
Rosemary Garlic Hummus
  1. Thoroughly rinse one cup of chickpeas in a colander (This helps improve their flavour and texture by removing excess salt and starch!). Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade.
  2. To the food processor, add tahini, rosemary, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Process for 1 minute on high.
  3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Process for another 30 seconds. Repeat till desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
  4. Serve in a bowl with a sprig of rosemary if desired. Will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Dilly Beet Dip
  1. Thoroughly rinse one cup of white navy beans in a colander. Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade.
  2. To the food processor, add beet, olive oil, lemon juice and dill. Process on high for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat processing till dip is a creamy texture, about 1-2 more minutes.
  3. Serve in a bowl with a sprig of dill if desired. Will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Creamy Cilantro Walnut Dip
  1. Add all ingredients, starting with only ¼ cup of goat kefir, to the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S blade. Process for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides and adding more goat kefir 1 tablespoon at a time till desired consistency is reached.
  2. Serve in a bowl and top with a sprig of fresh cilantro and chopped walnuts, if desired.

Notes

*If using canned beans, or you cooked more than 1 cup, you will have some leftovers. I tossed my leftover chickpeas on top of a salad and used the white beans in a homemade vegetable soup! I would love to hear what you did with your leftover beans!

**I cooked my beets in an instant pot on high for 25 minutes - feel free to use steamed, roasted, boiled or leftover beets!

Tuning in: brain nourishing ingredients

Rosemary:

  • Can increase acetylcholine – a neurotransmitter which plays an important role in memory function

Chickpeas:

  • Chickpeas contain zinc, low levels have been associated with chronic fatigue and depressive symptoms.

Beets:

  • Contains folate, the natural form of vitamin B9, which helps slow cognitive decline. Low folate levels have also been associated with depressive symptoms and poor brain function.

Dill:

  • Fresh dill has vitamins A & C, antioxidants that help protect against oxidative damage. Vitamin C promotes the synthesis of serotonin, one of the brains “happy chemicals” that is important for mood regulation. 

Kefir:

  • Contains probiotics, increasing the good bacteria in the gut. Studies have shown that increasing dietary sources of probiotics can lead to brains that are less stressed and less depressed.

  • Adding in fermented foods like kefir has been associated with less social anxiety.

Walnuts:

  • The omega-3’s in walnuts help lower inflammatory markers protecting neurons from inflammation.