Filed under: Dip

Roasted Eggplant & Red Pepper Dip

20110720eggplant Roasted Eggplant & Red Pepper Dip

The recipe for this Roasted Eggplant & Red Pepper Dip (or spread) comes from the beautiful blog The Cilantropist, and I am not surprised the author says it is one of her favorite foods to make in the summer.

I followed the recipe as written, except that I doubled the quantities of everything but the oil — I kept that at a third of a cup in the doubled recipe. I did have to puree the dip in two batches, as my Cuisinart couldn’t handle all of it at once. That gave me an opportunity to go a little heavier on the tomato paste in one batch, and lighter in the other — the one with less tomato paste was better, with more of the roasted eggplant flavor shining through.

I knew this spread would be a hit with my mother-in-law, who adores eggplant, but it went over well with all of the adults in my extended family. We ate outside on a hot night, smoothing this creamy, tangy spread over bagels. I served hard-boiled eggs and a salad made from romaine lettuce, marinated onions, feta, and sliced beets, too. It was indeed a perfect summer meal.

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1 Comment July 20, 2011

Roasted Broccoli & White Bean Dip

110606broccolihummus1 Roasted Broccoli & White Bean Dip

Roasted broccoli is delicious and homemade hummus is easy to make, so I knew this recipe for Roasted Broccoli Hummus — which uses white beans instead of chickpeas — would be a winner. It is.

I did not need to add any water to thin the dip. I also used a little more broccoli and garlic than the recipe suggests, because I really wanted to elevate the flavor beyond a white bean dip: I wanted it to scream “broccoli!” It did.

Make this dip as an appetizer or a snack to have with drinks; serve it with cut-up vegetables, whole wheat pita, or pretzels. It could make an easy summer lunch or dinner, slathered on a bagel or stuffed into a pita with lettuce and tomatoes. You can make a double batch of roasted broccoli, serving half as a side dish for dinner one night and using the rest the next day to make this dip.

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June 22, 2011

Hummus with Basil and Radish

20100708radhummus Hummus with Basil and Radish

I adore no-cook recipes in the summer. The radishes add a peppery bite to the smooth, garlilcky hummus. Slap some of this updated hummus on a bagel and you’re good to go.

Hummus with Basil and Radish
Adapted from Smashed Chickpea, Basil, and Radish Dip in Martha Stewart Living

8 radishes, washed and trimmed
2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, drained
1 c. loosely-packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 lemons
1 Tbsp. olive oil (or more)
salt & pepper to taste

In a food processor, pulse the radishes, chickpeas, and basil, garlic, and juice of both lemons until you have a chunky puree. Add olive oil to taste, starting with 1 tablespoon and increasing the quantity until you have the consistency of hummus you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as a spread or dip.

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1 Comment July 12, 2010

Green Tomato Salsa

091009greentomatosalsa Green Tomato Salsa

Is it possible to talk about green tomatoes and not immediately think of frying them? I knew I’d be the only one to eat a fried green tomato in my house, so it hardly seemed worth the effort. I needed a different way to use up those unripe veggies, and settled on a big batch of salsa.

I diced a red pepper, two big jalapeño peppers, a small red onion, and a quart of cored green plum tomatoes, then mixed in a large handful of chopped cilantro, and added the juice of a lime plus kosher salt. Some of my green tomatoes had actually started to turn orange as they sat on my counter for a week, which added some nice color variation! J. topped some nachos with the salsa and thought it was pretty good. I liked the firm, almost crunchy texture and more herbal flavor of the green tomatoes — it made the salsa taste even fresher than one made with ripe tomatoes.

I’ve still got plenty of salsa left, and received another quart of green tomatoes from my farm share this week too. After seeing how the first batch started to ripen on their own, I’m going to try to help them along by sticking them in a brown paper bag. When J. and I have tried this in the past with tomatoes from our garden, we’ve pretty much only had success at making moldy tomatoes. I’ll try to remember to check on them more frequently this time.

pixel Green Tomato Salsa

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6 Comments October 9, 2009

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DaraI'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:

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