Party Dip

I swear I haven't been lazy, just incredibly busy once again. My apologies. I have been making some killer food in the mean time though. To start off, I will share the recipe I made for the first neighborhood cookout in our new building. Our condo building and the neighboring townhouses got together for a wonderful night of food and The Big Lebowski projected onto a garage. A ton of fun! We made a really simple and delicious curried lentil dip with pitas. The dip was a tad dry, but had really good flavor. Next time (and there most likely will be a next time), I'll just add some water into the mix.


Curried Lentil Dip (Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)

We used brown lentils instead of red and weren't closely watching them as they were boiling, so they ended the boiling process a little dry. Perhaps if we were more diligent the whole dip would have been moister.

1 cup red lentils
2 1/2 cups water
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 cup diced onions
1 1/2 cups peeled, cored, and diced apples
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. garam masala (optional)
1/4 cup reduced-fat coconut milk
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the lentils and water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the lentils are very soft and most of the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onions, apples, and garlic with a dash of salt for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the raisins, curry powder, and the garam masala, if using, and continue to saute for about 10 minutes, until tender.
3. In a food processor or blender, puree the cooked lentils and sauteed onion mixture with the coconut milk and lemon juice. Add the salt and adjust to taste.
4. Serve at room temperature or chilled.