Artichoke and Zaatar Dips

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Delicious dips! Perfect as a filling afternoon snack or as a fun appetizer. If you like the citrus flavoured Zaatar, please have a look at the Zaatar spiced quinoa that I posted a few weeks ago. The Artichoke Dip is a true classic and the Zaatar Dip goes especially well with the apple sticks.

Ingredients:
Cut up carrot and apple sticks

Artichoke Dip:
400 g canned artichoke hearts
100 ml pine nuts
1 crushed garlic clove
1 large bunch of basil
100 ml grated parmesan cheese (can be substituted with ½ – 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and some more artichoke hearts)
100 ml olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Spicy Zaatar Dip:
Juice from 1 lemon
400 g canned cannellini beans
2 tbsp zaatar
1 tbsp chili flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt

1. Blend the dips in a food processor until smooth.
2. Drizzle some oil over the Spicy Zaatar Dip.
3. Serve with apple and carrot sticks.

Apple Mustard Sauce

160127 Apple Mustard Sauce-1151Goes well with many dishes; chicken, vegetables, pork… Nice and crunchy.

150 ml quark
100 ml mayonnaise
2-3 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
12 walnuts
1 apple, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1. Mix the quark, mayonnaise, mustard and seasoning.
2. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan, cut into quarters or smaller.
3. Place the apples in a bowl with the lemon juice. Add the celery. Pour the quark mix on top.
4. Stir most of the walnut pieces into the mix but leave a few out for decorations.

Chevre Dip

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Delicious to serve as a dip with crackers/raw cut up vegetables or as a sauce together with your meal (salmon, meat, vegetables…).

100 g chevre
100 ml crème fraiche
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
½ pomegranate, seeds

1. Soften the pomegranate by squeezing/rolling the fruit between your hands. Cut in half and squeeze out the seeds into a bowl.
2. Mix the crème fraiche and the chevre with a fork. Add the onion, then the spices.
3. Stir in most of the seeds from the pomegranate but leave some for the decoration.

Spicy Baked Artichoke Dip

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This is a great dip to use with cut up vegetables or crackers. Take it easy with the Tabasco as the dish becomes spicier during the time in the oven. You can always sprinkle some more chili flakes on top afterwards if it is not spicy enough. (Another name for this dip is “Petra’s Great Dip”).

400 g marinated artichoke hearts
75 ml mayonnaise
30 g parmesan cheese, finely shredded
4-5 drops of Tabasco
2 tbsp Lemon juice
(Salt and pepper)
Chili Flakes

  1. Oven at 200 C
  2. Chop the artichokes
  3. Add the remaining ingredients.
  4. Taste and add some salt and pepper if needed (the parmesan provides some saltiness and you will have heat from the Tabasco)
  5. In a large ovenproof dish, spread the mix in a thin layer.
  6. Top with some chili flakes
  7. Bake in oven 15-20 minutes.

Baked Spinach Dip

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This recipe is adapted from a Georgia (US) recipe. The versatile dip can be used as a sauce (e.g. with smoked salmon) or as a dip with nachos, vegetables or bread. Why not try the Gluten Free Crisp Bread with it?

 

Serves 15 as an appetizer

1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
Rape seed oil
500 g frozen, chopped spinach
1-2 tsp sambal oelek or other chili paste (or a few drops of Tabasco)
A pinch of salt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
150 g cheddar cheese, grated
100 g Philadelphia cream cheese
3-4 tbsp quark or crème fraiche
Chili flakes

Nachos or vegetables for dipping

  1. Oven at 200C
  2. In a large pan, fry the onion and garlic in a bit of oil
  3. Add the spinach, continue to fry until the liquid is gone
  4. Add the spice (sambal oelek, chili or tabasco), salt and the vinegar
  5. Add the cheese and crème fraiche. Stir until heated.
  6. Pour into oven proof dish (possibly several individual serving dishes).
  7. Sprinkle with chili flakes.
  8. Bake in oven 15-20 minutes.

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Spicy Aubergine Dip

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Spicy and lemony, a great dip that goes with almost anything. I like to serve it with sugar snaps or other cut up raw vegetables.

 

Ingredients

3 medium sized aubergines
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Juice from 1 large lemon (or a bit more)
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chilli flakes
1 tbsp olive oil

  1. Oven at 180C
  2. Prick the aubergines with a fork. Bake for about 30 minutes until soft.
  3. Halve the aubergine lengthways and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Puree with a handheld blender.
  4. Add the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
  5. Add some chilli flakes, stir and spoon into serving bowl. Sprinkle some extra chilli flakes on top. You may also want to add a few drops of olive oil on top as decoration.

 

Spiced Artichoke Hearts Dip

Artichoke dipp DSC_8661

To be served as a nibble with crisps. Or really with anything you might like. Can be used as a wonderful spread on canapés, a cold sauce with a tuna steak and in many other ways. Should be stored refrigerated with a tight cling film wrapping.

1 can of artichoke hearts (300 g)
30 ml lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
30 ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
5 large basil leaves
(some chili for a bit of heat)

Crisps or vegetables to go with the dip

  1. In a food processor, pulse all ingredients until smooth.
  2. Chill

Gluten Free Crisp Bread with Dips

For a festive Sunday Brunch. To be served with Zucchini Blinis.

These crackers will take about 1 hour 15 minutes to make.

crisp bread Makes one large oven tray.

150 grams mixed seeds (when in a hurry, I simply use Waitrose Love Life mixed seeds) plus a handful for the decoration.

100 grams gluten free flour (I prefer a mix of 70 grams quinoa flour and 30 grams of buckwheat flour but any gluten free mix will work as long as it’s not self-rising)

1 tablespoon of ground spices (I like to mix fennel, caraway and anise)
2 teaspoons of course sea salt
2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
200 millilitres boiling water

  1. Heat oven to 150 degrees Celsius
  2. Mix all dry ingredients together
  3. Add the water and the oil
  4. Mix well together
  5. Place the sticky dough on greaseproof baking paper covering an oven tray. Put another sheet of baking paper on top and press on the dough to form a thin layer covering the whole tray.
  6. Sprinkle some more coarse sea salt on top (optional) and a handful of seeds.
  7. Pre cut in squares and place in oven for about 50-60 minutes.
  8. Cool on rack and break apart in squares.

Tuna dip:

1 can tuna fish in water, 120 grams
5 small gherkins, finely chopped
1 teaspoon French mustard
2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
Mix.

Tomato dip:

3 tomatoes, medium sized, finely chopped
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ avocado, chopped
A few drops of lemon juice.
Mix.

Salmon dip:

100 grams smoked salmon, in pieces
3-4 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon creamed horseradish
Mix.