It was the week before Easter when I texted my aunt: “I heard you’re hosting this year. What can I bring?”
I’m an adult now. My parents may have driven me to the party, but I couldn’t show up empty-handed. Part of me secretly hoped my aunt would say a side dish or wine. Those I can do.
But she asked for a small appetizer. And to be completely fair, I did ask what I can bring. I just didn’t have any go-to appetizers – which, as I’m typing this, sounds so dumb. Chips and guac, chips and salsa, chips and queso – chips and anything, Kristin. There are just so many fun appetizer choices, 90% of which probably involve cream cheese, that I felt overwhelmed for just a hot sec.
And then I came across this 2-ingredient spicy cashew dip from Bon Appétit. (No cream cheese – although, as I think about it…)
As usual, it’s BA to the rescue. They’re my current obsession, my holy grail, my Oprah of food pubs. Have you seen their Test Kitchen?!
Here’s how I adapted the spicy chipotle dip, and tested a different spice combination of my own. (This is called a tale of two dips, after all. Not a hacky pun by any means.)
Spicy Chipotle Cashew Dip
Ingredients
· 1 cup cashews
· 4 chipotle peppers in adobo
· 5 tbsp. water
· 1 tsp. garlic powder
· Green onions, for garnish
Instructions
Blend that sucker up until it has the consistency you want. Adding more water will make it a thinner dip, versus a paste, and gives it a milder heat. If you like spicy but want that thinner consistency, consider adding more water as you go.
Serve with corn chips.
*No pics because we ate it all up. Whoooiips!*
The Verdict
Holy guacamole that was a hit. Gone in an hour, and people were asking for the recipe. #sogrownup
Ginger Turmeric Cashew Dip
Ingredients
· 1 cup cashews
· 2 tbsp. lemon juice
· 3 tbsp. water
· 1 tbsp. turmeric
· 1 tsp. ground ginger
· Dash of garlic powder
Instructions
Blend that baby up until it’s as smooth as you want it to be.
The Verdict
You tried something new, yaaaaay! *Series of patronizing claps*
This dip/paste/sauce is 100% an experiment. It tastes alright and has a nice, smooth nutty flavor, followed by a tangy lemon/ginger taste. It looks ugly as hell and I have no idea what to do with it, but it’s good enough for now. This one will require some tweaking, but I could see how it would taste good on a sesame cracker, as a sandwich spread, or maybe even baked on chicken.
Notes
I buy cashews at Aldi because this sh*t ain’t cheap, especially when I’m pretending to run my own test kitchen. Same goes for the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. (And almost everything in my fridge/pantry… #AldiLove is real.)
Chipotle peppers in adobo last FOREVER. Stock up and put them in a nice glass container in your fridge. (Why did I say nice? I am not Ina Garten. Just store them in something with a lid.) I first used these chipotle peppers for Pinch of Yum’s Spicy Chipotle Shredded Chicken recipe. Go. Click. Make.
You’ll need some kind of blending device, whether that’s a food processor, basic smoothie blender, or an immersion blender with chopping attachment. I have one from KitchenAid and use it for everything. It won’t give you the same smoothness a food processor does, but it does the job and saves a ton of counter space. (Hey, tiny apartment dwellers!)
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