Who doesn’t love a catch up with friends with a nice platter of crackers and dip? On many occasion I’ve opted for the store bought pre-made versions but turns out home made are so simple and quick to make and the best bit is you can add whatever you like/whatever is in your garden. Here are two I made recently:
Chickpea, beetroot and feta dip
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 60-90 mins to cook the chickpeas, unless you are using canned. 30 mins to boil the beetroot (or use roasted beetroot).
Makes: ~ 1 1/2 cups.
Ingredients
1/2 cup raw chickpeas (or one tin of drained canned chickpeas)
1 med sized beetroot, cooked
1 tablespoon lemon zest
juice from 1/2 lemon
100g feta cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Method
Cook the chickpeas by boiling in water for 60-90 mins (the longer the squishier), and the beetroot by boiling until tender. Place the cooked chickpeas and beetroot into a blender with all the other ingredients and blitz until its a paste like consistency. If its too solid, add more olive oil or lemon juice if you like it more acidic. Yes, it is that easy. Will keep in the fridge for 3 days.
Cashew basil pesto
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: zip, zero, none.
Makes: ~ 1 1/2 cups.
Ingredients
1/2 cup raw cashew nuts
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup firmly packed basil leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Method
Soak the cashews in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse. Combine the soaked cashews and the rest of ingredients together in a blender and blitz until you get a paste like, spreadable, consistency. If it is too firm, as above simply add more oil or lemon juice. Also quite nice with a touch of chilli pepper. Will keep in the fridge for 3 days.
Serve with crackers: try our seed cracker recipe
