VEGGIE DIPS WITH VEGGIE DIPPERS

Instead of going out to buy Hummus from your supermarket, use what is around you, in your garden or grown locally, all you need to do is cook and blend and you have your very own dippy creation!

Enjoy all of these dips with vegetable dippers, breadsticks, homemade breadsticks, on toast, with tortilla chips, or in pitta bread. Try blending any veg up and use tahini or peanut butter instead of dairy products, or potatoes can also be used effectively to lighten the flavour of the vegetable and add creamyness.   

Happy Cooking
Jo Medhurst
BBC Radio Leicester Food Friday Contributor   

Ruby Beetroot Dip

This dip is a lovely way to use up a few beetroot now it's beetroot harvest time.  I used lovage a herb which compliments the beetroot really well, a nice surprise as I just used it because we have a lot growing in our garden.  Use whatever herb is handy at the time for all of these dips and surprise yourself with new flavours!

5 Beetroot, topped, tailed and boiled until soft

5 tablespoons creme friache

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and Black pepper to taste

A few sprigs of lovage or parsley

Cut the beetroot into quarters and blend it with the creme, tahini and olive oil  until really smooth.  Add the  seasoning and lovage or parsley, blend again, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Creamy Cauliflower Dip  

If you think cauliflower is boring try this! All that is added is potato, fresh oregano, salt and pepper and lemon juice.  You can use a different herb but again this was in my back garden.  Try it with tarragon or rosemary.

1 cauliflower 

2 large potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

a few sprigs of oregano (take the leaves off the stalks)

salt and black pepper

Juice of half a lemon

Steam the cauliflower until soft, peel the potatoes, cut into four and boil until soft, drain the potatoes and mash them with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Blend the cauliflower and oregano until smooth, add to the potato and mix well, add the salt and pepper and lemon juice, mix well.

Carrot Cream Cheese Dip

This is a lovely bright orange colour and the sweetness of the carrots really makes it yummy, so simple to make.

6 large carrots

1 small tub cream cheese

salt and black pepper

A handful of chopped herbs (I used chives Hyssop and dill)

Juice of half an orange

Peel and chop the carrots and boil until soft. Blend the carrots in a food processor until smooth, add the cream cheese, salt, pepper, chopped herbs and orange juice.

Courgette and Tomato Dip

This dip is a classic combination of courgettes and tomatoes, both brimming at this time of year. Cottage cheese is a nice light alternative to cream cheese or creme fraiche.

4 Courgettes

4 cloves garlic

4 Beef tomatoes or 8 large tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small tub cottage cheese

2 stems rosemary

Cut the ends off the courgettes and slice them fairly thinly, put them onto a baking tray with 4 cloves garlic unpealed, the tomatoes chopped fairly small, 1 tablespoon olive oil.   Roast in a hot oven for 20 minutes and cool. Blend with 1 small tub cottage cheese, 300g or thereabouts, remove the leaves from the rosemary, chop finely and blend with the mixture.  Blend again with the rest of the olive oil and salt and freshly ground black pepper.