Rosemary Pepper Dip

A yummy bean dip with the robust flavors of rosemary and roasted peppers. Great with tortilla chips, Arabic bread, or your favorite crackers.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
30 ounces cooked and well-drained garbanzo beans
8 ounces roasted red peppers (drained if from a jar)
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Step 1: Mix all ingredients together in a food processor.

Step 2: Enjoy.

Sweet Fruit Salsa

This is a simple and delicious salsa, centered on fruits.  Great to eat with chips or as a dinner topping.

 

Ingredients

1 large tomato

½ a mango

½ an avocado

¼ cup pineapple chunks

a few sprigs of cilantro

Just dice everything up and mix it together!  Try it with parmesan tilapia too.

Homemade Tahini

Tahini is a simple Middle Eastern dip made of sesame seeds and oil.  It’s a key ingredient in hummus and baba ghanouj, and it can also be enjoyed on its own with breads or crackers, or as a substitute for peanut butter.

Ingredients

1 cup sesame seeds

¼ cup olive oil

Lightly toast the sesame seeds in an oven at 340°F (170°C) for about 10 minutes.  Let them cool for a minute after taking them out.

Grind them with the oil into a smooth paste using a food processor, stopping to scrape the sides when necessary.

That’s it!

Baba Ghanouj (or Baba Ghanoush)

A tasty Middle Eastern dip that's nice to make alongisde Hummus Yummus, since they both require a lot of the same ingredients.  Great with Arabic bread, pita chips, or other crackers.

Ingredients 

1 large eggplant 

1/4 cup tahini 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1/4 cup lemon juice 

a pinch of ground cumin  

salt, to taste

a bit of olive oil

a couple sprigs of chopped parsley

Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).

Poke the eggplant in several places with a fork and place on a barbeque grill rack a few inches from the fire.  (If you don’t have a barbeque grill, you can also just stick it with a pronged fork and hold it over a stove fire.) Grill the eggplant, turning frequently, until the skin turns brown-black and the flesh begins to feel soft (10 to 15 minutes).

Transfer the eggplant onto a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.  Then remove it from the oven, let it cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.

Put the eggplant flesh with the other ingredients (except the parsley) into a food processor and process until it forms a soft paste.  Add more seasonings to taste, if necessary.

Pour the Baba Ghanouj into a serving bowl, drizzle a little olive oil over it, and sprinkle chopped parsley on top.  Enjoy!

Hummus Yummus

If you’ve just bought a new food processor, this is an exciting way to use it, since hummus won’t come out right without one.  This recipe is for basic hummus, but you can also experiment with other added flavors like eggplant, dried tomato, or basil.  Makes a nice dip complement to Baba Ghanouj.

Ingredients

1 can drained garbanzo beans
2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons tahini*

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

*If you don’t have a Middle Eastern foods store nearby, you can make your own tahini by following this Homemade Tahini recipe.

Throw all the ingredients into the food processor and process until it’s smooth and pasty.  Put in a bowl and serve with Arabic bread or pita chips.  Yummus!