Recipe: Garlic-Almond Dip for Crudities

I served this at happy hour on a recent hiking weekend and it was a big hit. It’s also a staple of my summer barbecues. I tend to just serve this easy-to-prepare dip with strips of red pepper (or a mix of red, yellow, and orange for more of a multi-color effect) but you can use a wide variety of fresh vegetables.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Mayonnaise (If store-bought, a 15 fluid oz. jar is just right)

3 cloves garlic, peeled

5 TBS trimmed white bread or bread crumbs, lightly toasted

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1/2 cup Almonds

2 TBS fresh Parsley

Crudities (i.e. sliced pinkie-sized carrot pieces, cauliflower flowerettes, 1/4 in. strips of peppers, small red and white radishes, young scallions, and any other fresh vegetable which seems appropriate)

Clean and slice assorted crudities.

Add garlic, bread crumbs, pepper, almonds, and parsley to a blender or food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

Scoop mayonnaise into a bowl and stir in the chopped ingredients until well-blended.