Roasted Red Pepper & Yogurt Dip

Another big-time party is coming up, so time for a couple of dip recipes to hit my blog. This dip is a very pretty coral color, super-easy to make, tangy and really good. It goes well with crudites and pita chips. No one will ever guess you used yogurt (yuck!) for the base. (Actually, I eat plain yogurt almost every day for breakfast, so I am a fan of the flavor.)

Roasted Red Pepper & Yogurt Dip

Serves: many people
Time to make: ~5 minutes with pre-roasted peppers

In a food processor, proccess together:

• 1 cup roasted red peppers — jarred or roast them yourself under the broiler until the skins turn black
• ½ cup plain yogurt (not low-fat!)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

Notes:If you use jarred red peppers packed in olive oil or vinegar, substitute some of the liquid from the jar, but reduce the amount a bit.

If you roast your own red peppers, let them steam for about 10 minutes in a paper bag after roasting. This will make it easier to remove the skins. But don’t stress about peeling every bit of skin off, since the smoky flavor will just add to the flavor of the dip.

Sour Cream Dip & Crudites

It’s getting to be that time of year, again — party time. And while I love to try out new recipes for hors d’oeuvres, it’s good to have a few tried and true workhorses on standby. Such is the Sour Cream Dip, always a favorite and literally a blank palette for the cook to experiment with. While Sour Cream Dip works well with chips, it’s particularly good with crudités: cut-up raw (or sometimes blanched) vegetables. This gets some vegetables on the table while still remaining high in decadence.

My basic formula for sour cream dip is 3 parts sour cream and 1 part mayonnaise, for added richness and flavor. If you’d like a tangier dip, substitute plain yogurt for the mayonnaise. Combine ¾ cup sour cream and ¼ cup mayonnaise, and you’ll have enough dip for about 10 people. Mix with 1 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper, plus other flavorings as desired. Here are some suggestions, to be used in any combination:

• ½ cup blue cheese or feta
• ½ cup smoked fish
• ½ cup minced vegetables, such as cucumber, scallion, onion, bell pepper and/or tomato
• minced garlic and/or fresh herbs, to taste
• 1 tbsp. horseradish or mustard
• up to 2 tbsp. seasoning mix, such as curry powder or Southwest seasoning, to taste

Spicy Italian Sour Cream Dip

Combine:

• ¾ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 scallion, minced
• 1 tbsp. Italian dressing seasoning (Penzey’s is recommended)

Crudités

With conveniently cut-up and bagged veggies from the grocery store, crudités are a snap to make. But if you want to get a little more creative and put in slightly more work, here are some suggestions:

• No work: pre-bagged broccoli and cauliflower florets, baby carrots, celery sticks, jicama sticks, cherry tomatoes, mushroom caps (will need cleaning, though)
• Some work (cutting up): bell peppers, cucumber, summer squash, zucchini
• Slightly more work (blanching): asparagus spears, green beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, new potato wedges
• Fun: Scoop out a cabbage, sweet pepper or squash to hold the dip