A Duo of Dips: Edamame Dip and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

 

For a friend's party I wanted to make something that was healthy, but still tasty, and I came across a couple of Ellie Krieger (the same Ellie of Craving Ellie in My Belly fame, of which I am a member) recipes on the Fine Cooking website. One of my friends who was attending the party cannot eat much dairy, so I wanted one of the dips to be dairy free.  I found a great recipe for an Edamame Hummus that was made "creamy" with the addition of silken tofu.  The other dip I made was a Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip.  It combines red peppers that you roast yourself (you could use jarred roasted red peppers, but doing it yourself produces sweeter, smokier peppers in my opinion) with feta and dill.  Both were great, and I actually liked the combination of the two together.  If I made the edamame dip again, I would cut back on the garlic because it was a bit overpowering.  They both last for days after you make them, and I used them both as sandwich spreads in the place of mayonnaise.  A great healthy alternative.  

Edamame Dip 

• 2 cups frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions 
• 1 cup silken tofu, drained 
• 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste 
• Pinch of white pepper, plus more to taste 
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin, plus more for garnish 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.) (I would use 2 garlic cloves)
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste (I added a few additional tablespoons of lemon juice)

Set 1 Tbs. of the edamame aside for a garnish. Place the rest, along with the tofu, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, oil and lemon juice, in a food processor and process until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, or lemon juice, if desired.

Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved edamame and a sprinkle of cumin

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip

• 3 medium red bell peppers 
• 1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta (about 3 oz.) 
• 2 Tbs. plain dry breadcrumbs 
• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 
• 3 Tbs. chopped fresh dill 

Position a rack 5 to 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler on high. Put the peppers on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet and broil, turning every 5 minutes, until the skin is charred all around and the peppers have softened, about 20 minutes. Put the peppers in a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit until cool enough to handle. Remove the skins, seeds, and stems. 

Put the peppers, feta, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, chopped garlic and olive oil in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the dill. Season to taste with salt and serve.

Serve the dips with mini pita breads, fresh vegetables, or crostini.