February is National Snack Food Month

National Snack Food Month was started in 1989 by the Snack Food Association and the National Potato Promotion Board. It was a way to generate more snack food sales during a time that snack consumption was low.

Now I'm not trying to undermine their efforts, but things have changed a lot since 1989. People tend to be more health conscious these days and while they may not buy as many bags of greasy potato chips as they used to, they still buy snacks. The industry of course has responded to this by lowering their fat and saturated fat levels and provided better choices in the snack arena.

So to be fair to the Snack Food Association, I'm going to offer up some dips and spreads that you can enjoy with their chips. ;)

Try some of these great recipes:

Bean Dip
[printable version available here]

1-16 oz can refried beans
1 cup picante sauce
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1-3 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Transfer to crockpot. Cover and cook on High for 2-3 hours or until heated through, stirring once or twice. Serve with tortilla chips and salsa.


Nacho Cheese Dip
Taco Dip
Taffy Apple Dip
Tomatillo Salsa


Tuna and Curry Dip
[printable version available here]

1 (7 ounce) can tuna in water, drained
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients and mix well. It is best if chilled.
Makes 2 cups.

See our dips here and our salsas here

We've added some new recipes too! Be sure to check those out here.