A creamy, cool, refreshing dip for al fresco dining

This dip is so cool, smooth and creamy I couldn't resist scooping it into a sundae dish. Though not quite a substitute for ice cream or your favourite frozen treat on a hot summer day, I think you'll find it refreshing -- plus you can dip your veggies in it.

Parsley, Cottage Cheese & Yogurt Dip
Source: adapted from a recipe (page 18) in The Lighthearted Cookbook by Anne Lindsay.

1 cup (250 mL) low-fat cottage cheese
1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 cup (250 mL) fresh Italian parsley, stems removed
1/2 cup (125 mL) low-fat plain yogurt or light sour cream
freshly ground pepper to taste

Notes: (1) I don't measure the parsley that carefully & rely on my eye to judge the correct amount. As a variation you can replace some of the parsley with fresh dill; e.g., use 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley & 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill. (2) I like a chunky dip so I use a light touch with the food processor.

In food processor, lightly process cottage cheese & lemon juice until just blended.
Add parsley leaves, yogurt or sour cream & a dash of pepper. Process just until mixed & parsley leaves are coarsely chopped.
Cover & refrigerate dip for at least 4 hours to chill & blend flavours.
Serve with a rainbow of fresh vegetables. {Local & organic -- yes, please; fresh from the garden -- even better; eaten al fresco at a potluck picnic -- perfection.}

(The detailed nutrient analysis is on my computer at work and I will update this post with this information later today this weekend -- I'm off to visit a country garden today.)

Nutritional analysis:

Dip (PDF)
Assorted fresh vegetables (PDF)

Comments

[kelly]

What a wonderful looking dip. I'm going to try that!

[kathryn]

I can confirm this is delicious. After your suggestion on Twitter, I made it for the winter picnic and it went down really well, even with the non-cottage cheese fans. Interesting because mine was much runnier - I'm wondering if there's a difference between Canadian and Australian cottage cheese - but still worked really well. I also used a combination of mint and parsley, because that's what I had in the fridge.

Your platter of seasonal vegetables looks so beautiful - those lovely different coloured peppers. Yum. Thanks for letting me know about this Elaine.

[Sophie]

Such a good idea! Sometimes you just need a creamy dip but ones made with just low fat yogurt can be a bit thin. I can see the cottage cheese will do just the job.

How annoying that my parsley has just gone to seed, or I would be trying it straight away. Argh.

[Elaine]

Hi Kelly. If this is the Kelly I think it is -- so nice to hear from you again. I hope you're having a wonderful summer. I must come by & check out your latest Farmer's Market recipes.

Hello Kathryn. I'm so happy you enjoyed the dip on your picnic. Yes, I wonder if there are differences between AU & CA cottage cheeses. I used a 1% milk fat, large curd product with prebiotic fibre. I do find brands vary with respect to wateriness so I will sometimes use a slotted spoon or large fork to scoop it out of the container. I love your variation of combining mint & parsley -- sounds very refreshing.

Hi Sophie -- so the chickens didn't get to the parsley :-). At least one crop is safe. Now that I've read your urban chickens post, I understand why you were willing to sacrifice part of your garden for them. They are very dear. And two fresh eggs a day -- a reasonable trade-off. If we were neighbours (what a lovely thought) I'd share my parsley with you. I have just enough for one more batch of dip.