Healthy Vegetable Dips
Straight from the yoga garden in summer, you can’t go wrong with these simple to make healthy, delicious, nutritious and full of fibre vegetable dips. I love to make dips and keep them in the fridge to have as a healthy snack, dollop onto a buddha bowls, eat with freshly steamed vegetables or even on homemade toasted bread for breakfast. They are especially delightful when you serve them with more fresh vegetables or homemade crackers.
Moroccan Carrot Dip (Vegan)
This is a recipe that I have adapted from The Blender Girl. I have also tried using red or green harissa instead of the spices with great success. Have fun play with the spices and how much chilli, lemon and tahini you like.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 med white onion
- 1/2 teaspoon of celtic sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper – more to taste
- 50ml of vegetable stock
- 2 cups of steamed carrots (about 3 cups raw)
- 3 tablespoons of tahini
- Juice of half a lemon or more to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
- Pinch of chilli
- 1/4 cup of finely chopped basil (Thai basil or Greek is nice and spicy)
Method
- In a small pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, and sauté the onion and garlic about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Place the stock, steamed carrots, tahini, lemon juice, coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper into your food processor, and add the onion mixture.
- Process until smooth and creamy. Every now and again, stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the container to make sure all of the ingredients are fully mixed. Adjust tahini, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
- Transfer to a sealed container in the fridge to chill and thicken. Serve with vegetables or home made dehydrated crackers.
Beetroot Hummus
I love making hummus and it is such an adaptable base for a whole range of dip ideas. This one has beetroot and sweet spices added. I have also made this with pesto – basil, parsely or kale and tapenade (olives).
Basic Hummus
Ingredients
- 200 grams of chickpeas soaked overnight in two times their volume of water
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 4 tablespoons of tahini
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Celtic sea salt and pepper
Method
- Optional – rub off or loosen the chickpea skins as much as possible as makes for a creamier hummus.
- Place the chick peas in in fresh water an cook for around 45 to 60 minutes or until cooked.
- Put all ingredients in the food processor and whiz until smooth. Add water if the mixture is too dry.
- Taste and adjust seasoning or if you like add spices, for example, cumin, coriander.
Beetroot Hummus
- Steam 4 medium beetroots until soft.
- Process until smooth and then add to the hummus.
- Optional spices – nutmeg, all spice to taste.
Middle Eastern Baba Ganoush
This is a favourite recipe form Greg and Lucy Malouf’s cookbook Arabesque – Modern Middle Eastern Food. I have made this over and over again and if you do not wish to use yoghurt then just BBQ another eggplant although it will not be a s creamy it certainly is delicious and smoky.
Ingredients
- 3 medium eggplants (4 if you are making the vegan version)
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- Juice of 3 lemons or to taste
- 200 g of natural organic yoghurt
- salt and pepper
Method
- Prick the eggplants all over with a fork and place on the BBQ until they are blackened and have collapsed.
- Allow the eggplants to cool and then peel away the skin. try to let the skin off naturally rather than scraping the flesh off the skin as this can have a burnt flavour.
- In a food processor place the eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add yoghurt if using. Adjust flavourings.
- Serve with your favourite vegetable – carrots, celery, cucumber, radish – or delightful homemade crackers.
Happy munching!
