Happy Halloween! Halloween is my favorite holiday, so for the potluck party at work today, I went all out on my recipe. This recipe was a throwback to the Halloween parties I had when I was a kid. My mom used a plastic candy pail as a dip bowl so the table would look festive, and I wanted to re-create my own version. I planned to fill a pumpkin with dip, but when I went to the store all the little sugar pumpkins were gone, so I got a kabocha squash instead (one of my new favorite foods...can't wait to cook it up later!). Actually the green rind of the squash looked really good next to the orange dip. I served it with multi-color baby carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, plantain chips, and gluten free crackers.
There are a lot of possibilities with this recipe. I think this dip would also make a fantastic sauce to drizzle over white fish or chicken. The smoked paprika and cumin lend a subtle smokiness that is a change of pace from the standard old ranch dip.
Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Dip
1. Add the garlic and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they make a coarse meal.
2. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until the mixture is well combined. Taste for seasoning. Chill until you're ready to serve. Top with walnuts and pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of paprika.
This dip made enough to perfectly fill a re-purposed 16-oz cottage cheese container. I just used the widest end of the container as a template and then chipped away at the inside of the squash until the container fit.
.%20Actually%20the%20green%20rind%20of%20the%20squash%20looked%20really%20good%20next%20to%20the%20orange%20dip.%20I%20served%20it%20with%20multi-color%20baby%20carrots,%20cauliflower,%20broccoli,%20celery,%20plantain%20chips,%20and%20gluten%20free%20crackers.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20a%20lot%20of%20possibilities%20with%20this%20recipe.%20I%20think%20this%20dip%20would%20also%20make%20a%20fantastic%20sauce%20to%20drizzle%20over%20white%20fish%20or%20chicken.%20The%20smoked%20paprika%20and%20cumin%20lend%20a%20subtle%20smokiness%20that%20is%20a%20change%20of%20pace%20from%20the%20standard%20old%20ranch%20dip.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESmoky%20Roasted%20Red%20Pepper%20Dip%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E1.%20Add%20the%20garlic%20and%20walnuts%20to%20the%20bowl%20of%20a%20food%20processor%20and%20pulse%20until%20they%20make%20a%20coarse%20meal.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E2.%20Add%20remaining%20ingredients%20and%20pulse%20until%20the%20mixture%20is%20well%20combined.%20Taste%20for%20seasoning.%20Chill%20until%20you're%20ready%20to%20serve.%20Top%20with%20walnuts%20and%20pumpkin%20seeds%20and%20a%20sprinkle%20of%20paprika.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThis%20dip%20made%20enough%20to%20perfectly%20fill%20a%20re-purposed%2016-oz%20cottage%20cheese%20container.%20I%20just%20used%20the%20widest%20end%20of%20the%20container%20as%20a%20template%20and%20then%20chipped%20away%20at%20the%20inside%20of%20the%20squash%20until%20the%20container%20fit.%3C/p%3E){kind=small}
