Our Get HYPE Philly! teens are ready for spring! In preparation for the warmer weather, they learned how easy it is to prepare light but flavorful snack dips.

The lesson, by Food Educator Lauren Nixon, showed teens how to use common kitchen staples like herbs, spices and seed butters to improvise their favorite flavors. Love a green pesto on toast but don’t have any basil? No problem! Just grab another green—like broccoli—and you’re good to go. Craving caramel with your apples? Mix together a little honey with your favorite nut butter and you’re almost there!

Oh, and broccoli-haters beware: with a little help from some minced garlic and a touch of olive oil, many of our teens reported they couldn’t even taste the infamous veggie... so you may just find yourself enjoying this delicious and nutritious snack, too!
 
Spicy Broccoli Pesto (from The New York Times)

Ingredients:
½ pound broccoli florets
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
4-6 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste
Small pinch chili flakes
⅓ cup unsalted sunflower seeds

Directions:

• Steam the broccoli for five minutes.
• Let broccoli cool five to 10 minutes.
• Chop broccoli into bite sized pieces and add to a large bowl along with the remainder of the ingredients.
• Pulse with an immersion blender until pesto has reached desired consistency. A blender or food processor can be used in lieu of an immersion blender.
• Enjoy on toast, alongside an omelet or scrambled eggs, or on vegetables!

Cinnamon Tahini Dip (from Vitacost.com)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground turmeric (optional)
Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients and blend with an immersion blender.
• Enjoy with sliced fruit, on toast, or in morning oatmeal or porridge.

Teens, Join Us
Get HYPE Philly!'s free culinary literacy programs happen from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at several neighborhood library locations. We encourage anyone ages 12 to 18-years-old to come check it out! Download our Get HYPE Philly! Programs Calendar or browse for our events online.

You can also like Get HYPE Philly! on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram!
 
Get HYPE Philly! is made possible with generous support from GSK.