3 Dips that go beyond good ol’ salsa – Times of India

Cooking during lockdown alongside work is no mean feat. Those who have been doing the juggling act for a while now will tell you how leftovers and easy salads have been a total saver. There’s something else that can raise the bar in your home-based cooking. It’s a dip! Whip up an easy two or three-ingredient dip, store it in the fridge and you are set. And yes, we’re not talking about salsa. Try these out, today…

Chilled Tzatziki

The Greek and Middle Eastern dip is a fave. All you need for it are yoghurt, cucumber, fresh herbs like mint and dill, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice.

Ingredients

Hung cream: 150 g

Cucumber, grated – half
Dill or mint – 1 tsp

Garlic: 4 cloves

Lemon juice – ¼ tsp

Salt: to taste

Method

Grate the cucumber and mix it with the sour cream, fresh herbs minced garlic cloves and some salt. Serve with crudites or toasted bread.

Spinach-pesto dip

Perfect for pasta, sandwiches and on pizzas, too

Ingredients

Baby spinach leaves – 1 ½ cups

Herbs: fresh basil and parsley – ½ cup together

Garlic cloves – 4

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Walnuts, chopped – ¼ cup

Grated cheese – ½ cup

Lemon zest – ¼ tsp

Olive oil – 2 tbsp

Salt and pepper – to taste

Method

Blend the ingredients together with olive oil till smooth. Add salt and pepper to it. Transfer to an airtight jar. Note: You can also add toasted pine nuts to the mix and process it.

Hummus with sun-dried tomatoes

Here’s another fave that your family will love and it takes just a few ingredients to prepare.

Ingredients

Chickpeas, cooked – 1 ½ cups

Sun-dried tomatoes – ¼ cup

Basil leaves – ½ cup

Garlic cloves – few

Tahini – 2 tbsp

Olive oil – 1 ½ tsp

Lemon juice – 2 tbsp

Zeera – a pinch

Salt – to taste

Method

Blend the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, basil leaves, garlic cloves, tahini and zeera and add the oil, lemon juice, water and salt to it. You should get a smooth consistency.