I like dips. And really what’s not to like? They are often full of flavor (think onion, clam or that completely addictive jalapeño artichoke dip from Costco). They are usually scooped up with something fun and crunchy (think crackers, chips or crispy veggies). And, in my experience, they’re often eaten at a party or get together with friends.
Like I said, what’s not to like?
Well except that many are full of some not-so-healthy stuff (yeah artichoke dip… I’m looking at you).
But that certainly wasn’t the case when at a recent girls’ night my friend Liz brought this Rawsome Nut Dip and I couldn’t. Stop. Eating. It. There was a tang from lemon juice. A slight sweetness from the red pepper. An herbaceous-ness from the basil. It’s raw, vegan, gluten-free and most importantly, delicious.
Liz sent me the recipe and the next weekend I gathered the ingredients, whipped up a batch in around 5 minutes flat and have had some in the fridge (it gets even better after the flavors have had a chance to meld) basically every since. It’s a perfect midmorning snack along with celery sticks or cauliflower florets. It doesn’t take much (1/4 cup or so) to chase away the hungries and keep me going strong until lunch.
Yep. This is definitely one rawsome dip!
- ½ cup raw almonds
- ½ cup raw pistachios
- ¼ cup raw walnuts
- ¼ cup raw pine nuts (or more walnuts or other nuts like cashews)
- ½ cup red or orange bell pepper, chopped
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 very small clove garlic, sliced, or to taste
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 to 6 tbsp water
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 to 1½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
- In a food processor, combine nuts, bell pepper, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper, and water (starting with 4 tbsp), and purée until fairly smooth, scraping down sides of bowl several times.
- Add basil and thyme, and purée again until well combined and to desired smoothness.
- Add more lemon juice to taste and/or water to thin dip if desired.
- Notes: You may change the proportions of nuts in this recipe or substitute with other nuts or seeds. Note that nuts differ in natural sweetness and bitterness: cashews, almonds, and pistachios have sweeter flavors, whereas walnuts and pine nuts have more savory and bitter tones. Since substitutions will affect the overall flavor, you may want to adjust lemon juice or salt to taste.
