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Life&Style

 

It will blend, so let’s get riDIPulous

By Laurel Borrowman,
Life & Style Editor

ome think that the best gift
Gin anyone can give, whether

youre into gifting or not, is
peace on earth. Some think that it’s
being in the company of family,
friends, and loved ones. Some think
that the greatest gift of all is love.

All those people are wrong. I
received the greatest gift of all for
Christmas this year, and it’s called a
KitchenAid 7-Cup Food Processor. I
have never felt more peace on earth,
and I believe that I am one step
closer to bringing that to all those
around me by putting this kitchen
appliance to maximal use, and
bringing happiness to the world,
one dip at a time.

[have a thing for pureeing things;
chewing is overrated. Any recipe that
involves piles of vegetables, nuts,
and beans blended to a smooth,
savoury paste, is one of the most
delightful foods I can imagine. Pair
with a fresh, grainy baguette, a
plate of crisp carrot sticks, a thickly
sliced, vine-ripened tomato, or
some crunchy rye crackers, and
you ve got yourself a meal. Not
enough? Just add a few slices of
aged gruyere cheese, and you’ve
got even more substance.

I’m trying to convert you
from not eating dips to eating
dips, and then from store-bought
dips to making your own. Store-
bought dips are expensive; they
have preservatives, fillers, and
ingredients that aren’t even words,
and the selection peaks at roasted
pepper dip, guacamole, hummus,

blender was made by NASA, it will
burn out soon.

Furthermore, you are three
days into your New Year resolution,
which isn’t going to last through
the weekend, and I bet that eating
healthier even just once in a while
is on your list. | recommend getting
off your butt and making some
healthy food for yourself.

Here are my three favourite
recipes that are wonderful for
myriad reasons. They taste great.
They are packed with vegetables,
fibres, proteins, and vitamins.

They are colourful, and will
impress your friends at potlucks
and parties. They work ona
sandwich, with some chips, with
fresh vegetables, or even as a big
fat spoonful of straight-up dip. I
credit my favourite cookbook, Isa
Chandra Moskowitz and Terry
Hope Romero’s Veganomicon, which
specializes in food for foodies that

“| have a thing for pureeing things; chewing is overrated.“

or a roasted-pepper-guacamole
hummus. Boring. You can do better.
You just need the tools and the
know-how.

Before the KitchenAid came
into my life this Christmas, I used
the second-worst blender on
the continent, and at least three
spatulas (one for each time I’d try
to scrape the dip down toward
the blade while the blender was
on, inevitably hitting the blade
and chopping the tip off) to make
my dips. It works for a while, but
if you want to get serious and
stop annihilating all your kitchen
utensils, I highly recommend the
food processor. Plus, unless your

want to skip the animal products
without nixing what good food is
all about.

Again, you can make all of
these in a blender. Be warned
though: once you start, you'll
want to join me in Food Processor
Heaven. Now, my gift to you: time
to get riDIPulous.

Creamy Kalamata Spread
This takes olive-love off the charts.

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped coarsely
3 cloves garlic, chopped,

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup tightly packed pitted

kalamata olives, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup dry red wine

1/2 pound (about a half package of
the red Sunrise type) soft tofu

2-4 tbsp water

Pre-heat a saucepan on medium
heat, and sauté the oil and onions
for five minutes. Add garlic and
red pepper flakes, and cook for one
more minute. Add the olives and
wine, cooking for about five more
minutes until wine is reduced.
Remove pan from heat to cool to
room temperature.

In your blender /food processor,
crumble the tofu and blend with
enough water for it to get its mix
on. Add the olive mixture and
puree, stopping a few times to
scrape the sides of your mixer off.

Cover, chill in fridge, then bust
out your dipping mechanisms.
Enjoy.

Mediterranean-Style Cashew
Cucumber Dip

This is vegan tzatziki, and pairs
perfectly with pita, in a wrap, or with
veggies. Sometimes, | wish I could just
drink it with a straw.

1 2/3 cups peeled, grated cucumber
(about 1 and 1/3 long English
cucumber)

1 cup raw cashews

2 large cloves garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp lemon juice

Pinch ground pepper (white or
black)

1 tbsp chopped fresh dill (I usually
do 2 or 3 though; I love dill)
Kalamatas for garnish

Squeeze grated cucumber over
a bowl to remove juice; set juice
aside in one bowl, place the juiced

 

cucumber in another.

In your blending device,
combine the cashews, lemon juice,
half the grated cucumber, garlic,
olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Blend until creamy, scraping the
sides of the blender frequently.

Add 1-3 tbsp of the cucumber
juice. Add remaining cucumber and
dill, and pulse a few times.

Cover, chill in fridge, and enjoy
the heck out of it.

Sun-dried tomato dip

The zest in this dip ts off the
charts. If you hate basil, you can leave
it out, but I advise strongly against it
because basil is delicious.

2 cups sun-dried tomatoes (dry, not
the packed-in-oil type)

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup cooked white beans, rinsed
(navy or kidney work well)

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tbsp salt

A few pinches of ground pepper

Place tomatoes in a bowl and
pour the boiling water over them.
Cover with a plate and soak for
about 15 minutes.

In your blending device, grind
the almonds to a powder. Remove
tomatoes from water with tongs/
slotted spoon (save the water) and
add to almonds. Blend.

Add all remaining ingredients
and puree. Add up to % cup of
the tomato water to create desired
pasty consistency. Add basil leaves.
Mix, scraping sides of the blending
thingy often.

Chill out for about an hour. Let
the dip chill out for about an hour.
Eat dip.

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