The Carrot Dip That Will Change How You Serve Vegetables
There is, believe it or not, a happy medium between what you want to eat and what your child is willing to eat, and it can be summed up in a single word: dips. Hummus, baba ghanoush, yogurt-based spreads–make it silky and/or smooth, serve it on a cracker, make it handheld and you’ll be able to get your kiddo to eat anything, vegetables and seafood included. Heck, you can make a whole dinner out of it!
This dip plays off the nuts-red pepper-oil formula that makes Spanish romesco and Turkish/Syrian muhammara sauces so great, with the added bonus of carrots for taste, nutrition, and color. The use of cashews adds creaminess and protein; you could easily sub in almonds or pepitas, though. Apple cider vinegar provides sweetness and sharpness in equal measures; balsamic or sherry vinegars would also work. (A big hit of lemon could also substitute.) The good news: this is one of those dishes where whatever works for you here is likely to work for your child, too.
- 1/2 bag Baby Carrots (roughly 8oz; can also use 3 large carrots)
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper
- 1/2 cup Cashews
- 1/8 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- minced Garlic
- Cilantro
- good Olive Oil
- Toss carrots in oil and roast at 400 degrees until soft, roughly 30-35 minutes. While the carrots cook, halve the bell pepper and remove the membrane and seeds; add it to the pan with the carrots in the last 15 minutes of cooking. Allow carrots and peppers to cool.
- If you’d like a smoother, puree-like dip, soak the cashews in warm water for ten minutes. (For a thicker or chunkier version, don’t.)
- Remove the outer skin from the pepper.
- Add carrots, pepper half, apple cider vinegar, and a spoonful of minced garlic to your blender and blend on high until ingredients are chopped up. Add in the cashews, a generous splash of olive oil, a lot of cilantro, and a pinch of salt and pepper; blend on high until mixed.
- If the texture of the dip is not yet smooth and creamy, continue adding a splash of oil and blending again until taste and texture are as desired.
We smear this on Ritz or Saltines as if a cheap canape—and it works! Because the dip will hold in the fridge for 3-5 days, you can serve/try it again and again quite easily–especially ideal if your child doesn’t take a shine to it immediately. (Our son didn’t try it until our third attempt…then promptly ate six crackers with it the next day.) Because the dip has a creamy and subtly sweet flavor profile, you can serve it as a spread on any number of things, such as pieces of chicken, on toast, in a sandwich, etc.
We noted several possible substitutions in the introduction to the recipe; here are a few more: you can simply steam the carrots for 15 minutes and skip the roasting–you’ll lose a bit of the depth from not getting the high heat on the roots but the dip will still be delicious. You can also sub out the carrots altogether, such as with beets or sweet potatoes; you can also go the tomato route, though add breadcrumbs or half a slice of bread to the mix to keep the mixture thick and creamy.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
