What can I have instead of crisps and dips?

Friday night and Saturday night are those days when some crisps and dips feel like the right thing to have.

However all crisps and many dips carry a penalty deep within their ingredients and so you have to really restrict the quantity you eat.

Their are, however, real alternatives that are tasty and enjoyable (more so for the dips than the crisps).

1. Homemade salsa is a must.

Ingredients:

1 fine chopped onion.

4 tomatoes deseeded and chopped into small pieces. (Remove the skins of you prefer bit is not essential).

1 chilli pepper chopped finely (leave seeds in if you like it hot)

Juice of one lemon

Small bunch of coriander chopped.

Method:

Mix together once everything is chopped and ready.

Now if you prefer the sour cream dips just replace with either 0% fat quark (you can get it with herbs or sun brushed tomatoes) or 0% Fromage Frais. You can mix in spice mixes you like or herbs to make a good dip.

My current favourite is my version of Frijamole. I love hummus but hummus is mixed with a fair bit of olive oil and even the tahini can add to midriff build up. Frijamole is a great alternative.

Frijamole

Ingredients

1 can of chick peas

1 can of butter beans (or other white beans)

2 cloves of garlic

1 red or green chilli (leave seeds in you like it hot)

Juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime

1 small bunch of coriander

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. You can also add some squirts of 1 calorie olive oil spray if you want the olive oil flavour.

The alternative to crisps depends on you taste preferences. Corn thins are better for the waistline than crisps and of course sliced vegetables/ crudités carry no penalty.