Tired of mystery veggies in your Community-Supported-Agriculture (CSA) box? Don’t know what to make with your 4th straight week of radishes?
Look no further. This creamy herbed dip is delicious and easy to pack in your school lunches!
We’re not big radish fans at my house. Neither my daughter nor I like their peppery bite when eaten raw, which were most of the suggestions I got when asking what I could do with them. And no, we don’t own a rabbit. So when faced with a bundle of them week after week in our CSA share, I had to find some way to make them palatable!
A friend mentioned that roasting them makes them taste sweeter. (Apparently this is the case with most vegetables. Mentally noted for future reference!) She also suggested making some kind of dip with cream cheese. Hmm. Using the food processor wouldn’t tax my limited culinary skills. And I like dip!
My kids also like dip. Dip means something yummy to eat with the rest of the veggies from our CSA box. Win, win! Since roasting veggies doesn’t involve carefully measured out amounts, like in baking, I can do it!
Some points to consider if you have a “Nuke ’em from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure” cooking mentality:
- Not all radish bunches are the same size, so you might have to adjust creaminess with more (or less) Greek yogurt.
- After 20 minutes, test for done-ness by using a fork. Apparently the radishes get hot when cooked for that long, and you might burn a finger. Not that any of us would do that—ahem!
- Roasted radishes smell a bit funky. Don’t be alarmed.
- I use low-fat cream cheese (or neufchatel) because it’s lower in fat although not great in flavor when eaten alone. Real cream cheese is not even considered in the dairy option of the food pyramid because of the high fat content. It’s in the sweets/fats category!
- Add any fresh herbs you might have on hand. Minced basil is my favorite, but I tend to forget to water my herbs, so rosemary and chives were the survivors for this recipe.
- It helps if you let the cream cheese soften up first. I usually forget to take it out, but lately the baby will wake up and interrupt me while I’m cooking, and it softens on its own by being left on the counter too long. Oops!
- Serving suggestions: as a veggie dip, with pita chips, spread on a toasted bagel, or with ham, lettuce, and tomatoes in a sandwich.
CSA Box Mystery Dip—Creamy Herb Radish Dip
- Cuisine: Snacks
Ingredients
- 1 bunch radishes, washed & quartered, or
- 2 cups mystery veggies from CSA box
- 1 8–ounce package low-fat cream cheese
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1–2 teaspoons fresh herbs (chives & rosemary shown here) (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat mat.
- Place the radishes on the baking sheet, and bake until they turn translucent and feel soft when poked. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for 5 minutes while you gather the remaining ingredients.
- In a food processor, blender, or immersion blender, combine the roasted radishes and cream cheese. Blend to combine.
- Add the remaining ingredients, including the fresh herbs, if using. (You might have to add a little bit more yogurt until it reaches a creamy dip consistency. Not all radish bunches are created equal, and you don’t want your chip to break while dipping.)
- Refrigerate for an hour or more, and enjoy.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Kendra Peterson, a.k.a.: Ludicrous Mama, occasionally remembers to feed her kids and even fakes a recipe once in a while (throws together stuff on hand and mostly doesn’t mess it up. Mostly.) She can be found sharing their fun lunches on her blog, Biting the Hand That Feeds You.
Orgreenic
Interesting read. Thanks for providing a recipe to emulate this savory-looking dip. Can you dip chips with this as well or is it strictly for cut-up veggies?
Laura
You could use anything you’d like to “dip” … we love it with pita chips as well.
Ludicrous Mama
I also use it instead of plain cream cheese as a spread on crackers, bagels, sandwich thins, etc. I especially like it with ham and lettuce.
Ludicrous Mama
Trader Joe’s has these Parmesan Garlic Pita Chips that are AMAZING with it. Too bad they aren’t whole-grain…
Laura
those sound yummy!
Laura
Wendy, there is always a first time for everything. :)
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Mmmm… my kids love to “dip” and making a pink dip with radishes is so unique! I look forward to trying it.
I was never a raw radish fan and had a similar experience when someone told me that she liked them cooked… It never would have occurred to me to cook a radish! I sliced them thin and sautéed them with some butter and a little salt and they were really good (though, really, most things are good with a little butter and salt, right?)
Laura
Let us know how they enjoy it!
Ludicrous Mama
I tried to set a good example by trying the raw ones with my little one, and they were nasty. So we spent years avoiding them. Until now! Now I’m nagging at my CSA farm to plant more!
Cristi
Sweet! Thanks for sharing this Kendra! Maybe a pink dip will get my littles to like radishes :)
Ludicrous Mama
Tell them it was my idea… or that Baby E loves it. I convince Z to try tons of new things by telling her that Sprout or Birdie love it!