Parties and get-togethers are a great excuse to make some of my favorite more indulgent treats, like brownies and cookies and cheesy dips. But this past month I had so many occasions to make snacks that I actually got a little sick of eating junk. Can you believe it?
So I wanted to make a healthy, but still delicious, appetizer to take to a recent potluck. Though I haven’t had many weird cravings during this pregnancy, I have been pretty thirsty since the very beginning.
My thirst has me reaching for juicy foods like watermelon, oranges and cucumbers. Sometimes I’ll just eat a cucumber as if it were a banana. Can’t get enough of those suckers.
These little bites were so tasty and I didn’t feel too bad eating a million of them since they are mostly veggies! They were the perfect healthy snack and everyone loved them.
Make sure that you use the powdered Ranch dressing mix in a packet– not an actual bottle of Ranch dressing, otherwise your topping will come out way too wet. I like this organic ranch dressing mix, but you can use any brand! If you don’t have grape tomatoes, you can quarter cherry tomatoes, or even cut large tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
It’s easiest to make the topping with an electric or stand mixer, but if you don’t have one, don’t fear! Just make sure the cream cheese is extra soft at room temperature, and mix it the old fashioned way with a spoon and a little elbow grease.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 large English cucumbers
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 small (5.3 oz) container plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp fresh dill, minced
- 1 tbsp powdered Ranch dressing mix (such as Hidden Valley)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice cucumbers into rounds, about ½-inch thick. You can leave the skin on, peel them, or partially peel them for a striped look. Slice grape tomatoes in half (or quarters, if large) and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine cream cheese, Greek yogurt, dill and Ranch dressing powder. Mix thoroughly. You can use an electric mixer, but you can also do this by hand.
- Transfer the cheese mixture to a piping bag (if you don’t have one, you can use a large Ziplock bag with a corner snipped off).
- Pipe the cheese mixture onto the cucumber rounds, then top with a cherry tomato half!
