I love love love hosting and throwing parties! I don’t do fancy cakes and I don’t do streamers.

I do real good food. Shocking.

A good party will always have healthy options. I don’t just mean a store bought vegetable tray with a dip that you turn upside down, peel away the wrapping and call ‘healthy.’ I suppose that if you’re goin to Grandma’s house for Aunt Sally’s birthday, this is gonna be as healthy and as creative as you get. But if YOU’RE in charge of hosting, think outside of the box.

Think homemade. It’s way easier then you think.

Goat cheese and avocado are one of my favorite combinations. I know, you think I’m just a goat cheese lovin fool who adds it to everything, even if I shouldn’t. This is true. But, this guacamole is to-die-for.

Goat Cheese Guacamole
Recipe adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking
Serves 6
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
4 avocados
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
juice of 2 limes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions
Mash everything in a bowl, serve with tortilla chips.

Moving on to the hummus…

Red peppers were on sale a few weeks ago, 5 for $1. My husband did the grocery shopping that day and came home with only $2, but 10 red peppers, helloooooo. So I’ve been getting creative with ways to use red pepper. This hummus = outstanding!!!! Once you’ve made homemade hummus, the store bought stuff will just never taste the same, homemade is a bazillion times better.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows
Serves 6
time: 1 hour

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves
2 cups cooked chickpeas (15oz can), 2 tbsp liquid reserved and set aside
3/4 cup roasted red peppers (about 1 large bell pepper)
1/4 cup tahini
5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
2 Tbsp reserved chickpea liquid (or water)
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

Garnish
Olive oil
Paprika garnish

Directions
In a food processor, chop the 2 peeled garlic cloves. Process until chopped.

Place the rest of the ingredients (except salt and paprika) into food processor and process until the hummus is smooth (add olive oil if it’s too thick, but let it process first to break everything down before you add too much olive oil).

Scrape down the sides, as necessary, to make sure everything purees.

Add in salt, pepper and paprika gradually, stopping to taste as you go. Scoop into a bowl and drizzle with a good quality olive oil and garnish with paprika. Makes about 2 cups and lasts for about 4-5 days in the fridge in a sealed container.