Healthy Dips — Because Amara Would Have Eaten Four of These Too

Easter. And the family is growing. That's the Easter message, isn't it? Growth from death. Life from the tomb. A family that buries its people and then makes more people and names the new ones after the old ones and feeds them from the same skillet and calls it resurrection. I don't know if the theologians would agree with my theology, but the theologians haven't been to my Easter table, and if they came, they'd eat the ham and agree with everything I said.

Easter dinner: twenty people. The smaller gathering — not the full Christmas crew, but the Savannah contingent plus Kayla and Devon plus the news of Michael Devon Brooks growing inside Kayla like a promise. Kayla is sixteen weeks and wearing a dress that doesn't try to hide it anymore, a dress that says: yes, there is a baby, and yes, his name is Michael, and yes, you may touch the belly if you ask politely and wash your hands first.

Amara is in Savannah for spring break — Marcus drove her down, just the two of them, a father-daughter road trip that made me think of Earl driving Earl Jr. to see colleges, quiet and purposeful, the kind of thing fathers do that doesn't look like much but is everything. Amara is six and a half now, tall for her age, with Earl's eyes and a personality that is entirely her own — bold, curious, asking questions about everything. "Granny Dot, why is the ham pink?" "Because it's cured with salt and smoke." "Why?" "Because that's how you preserve meat." "Why?" "Because refrigerators didn't always exist." "WHY?" "Amara, eat the ham."

After dinner, Amara and I went to the garden. She squatted next to the watermelon — which is now the size of a softball and growing visibly — and she said, "Granny Dot, are you talking to the watermelon?" I said, "Yes." She said, "What do you say?" I said, "I say, 'Grow, please.'" She leaned close to the watermelon and whispered, "Grow, please." And I thought: this is it. This is the teaching. This is the passing down. Not just the recipes and the skillet and the seasoning — the faith. The faith that you can talk to a watermelon and it will listen. The faith that you can plant a seed and it will grow. The faith that you can feed people and it will matter.

Made deviled eggs. Twenty-four of them. Amara ate four. She is six years old and she ate four deviled eggs, which makes her my granddaughter in spirit and in stomach.

Now go on and feed somebody.

Deviled eggs are never wrong at Easter — but they disappear so fast that half the table never gets one (Amara saw to that). These healthy dips carry the same spirit: something you set in the middle of the table, something people reach for without thinking, something that says “come, sit, there’s plenty.” If you’re feeding twenty and you want the kind of abundance that matches the day, you put out a spread of dips and let people find what they love — that’s resurrection theology, right there on the appetizer table.

Healthy Dips

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 8–10

Ingredients

• Classic Hummus:
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2–3 tablespoons water, to thin
• Paprika, for garnish
• White Bean Dip:
• 1 can (15 oz) white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary (or fresh, finely chopped)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cucumber Tzatziki:
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 English cucumber, grated and squeezed dry
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• For Serving:
• Pita bread or pita chips
• Sliced cucumbers, carrots, celery, bell peppers
• Crackers of your choice

Instructions

1. Make the hummus. Add chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and salt to a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding water one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of paprika.
2. Make the white bean dip. Combine cannellini beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and rosemary in the food processor (no need to rinse between batches). Blend until creamy and smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl.
3. Make the tzatziki. In a medium bowl, stir together Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, dill, and lemon juice until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. For best results, refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving to let the flavors come together.
4. Set up the spread. Arrange all three dips on a large board or platter alongside pita, crackers, and fresh-cut vegetables. Drizzle the hummus and white bean dip lightly with olive oil just before serving.
5. Serve and step back. Set it on the table and let people at it. That’s all the work you need to do.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 280mg