Summer Dips Made Easy
Inside my fridge lies a myriad of random pots filled with leftovers. The pantry is lined with a 
legion of sample spices and heirloom beans from suppliers all over the country. My counter is decked with 3 slow cookers and an Instant Pot, and my kitchen is in constant “test mode” due to the nature of our food business.
During the week it’s down to me to consume the leftovers from the labors of my testing and occasionally I find a way to transform an existing dish into something new and interesting by the addition of a couple of fresh ingredients. This is precisely how our new range of dips was born, out of leftover slow cooked vegetarian bean dishes. These are not your average hummus dip.
It started with leftover curried lentils, made using our original recipe. With 5 minutes to “ready, steady, cook” my way to a healthy lunch, I ladled a cupful into a dish, stirred in some sour cream and lime juice and scooped it up with blue corn tortilla chips. I immediately penned an email to Meg to share my discovery.
The lentils have a meaty consistency and the dip is tangy and satisfying. We took it to Williams Sonoma the following weekend for our summer slow cooking event. Rave reviews from customers elevated it to being published as the latest recipe for our Indian Dal slow cooker spice blend.
For an elegant appetizer: spoon onto leaves of endive. The bitterness of the leaves are a good vehicle for the sweet and sour curry flavors of the dip.
For a picnic: add some grilled, seasoned chicken drumsticks and crudités.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups / 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 cup / 1 large carrot, diced
- 2 tsp / 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small green chili, chopped
- 1 Indian Dal Slow Cooker Spice Blend or 2 tbsp of your favorite Madras style curry powder
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups / 10oz French green lentils, rinsed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups / 24 fl oz vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup sour cream light
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- heat the oil in a skillet on medium; sauté onion, carrot, garlic and green chili for 2 minutes
- transfer onion mixture to slow cooker
- spinkle in the Indian Dal blend; add the tomato paste, French green lentils, salt and broth
- stir, cover and cook on LOW: 5 hours or HIGH: 2 1/2 hours
- cool and stir in the sour cream and lemon juice
- great with blue corn tortilla chips or spooned onto endive leaf
“In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows.” ––Ralph Waldo Emerson
