'Good For You' Vegetable Dip - Mayonnaise FREE & Dairy FREE

This recipe came from one of my new favorite blogs... Whole New Mom.

I was browsing through her recipes and found a Homemade Vegetable Dip recipe that contained...

No Mayonnaise, No Soy, No Egg and No Dairy

Wooo Hooo!!  EXACTLY what I had been looking for.

If you've ever taken time to read the label on store bought dips, I can guarantee you can't read half of what is listed.  That is...if you can even bring yourself to read past the hydrogenated oil listing.  Blaaaa.

The base for this dip is healthy nuts of your choice.  I became a believer in the value of this healthy dip alternative when I saw my two year old princess swipe up a piece of cauliflower and chow down.

This dip isn't just good on vegetables.  Spunk up your sandwiches. Instead of using mayo reach for this spread.  It will be our go to condiment of choice for now on!  Out with the mayo and in with the new....or something like that.

Did I mention that I was really excited about this dip? hehehehe  

Ingredients...
1/2 cup nuts or seeds (sunflower and pumpkin both work great.  Soaked & Dehydrated is best.)*  I used sunflower.
1/4 cup water
3 Tablespoons vinegar or organic lemon juice (Apple Cider Vinegar is what I chose for its nutritional value.)
1 Tablespoons arrowroot (cornstarch can be substituted)
1 Tablespoon sweetner of choice (use only 1/2-1 scoop if using pure stevia extract.) - I used raw sugar since I was out of honey but plan on using it in the future.
1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley (or 3/4 teaspoon dried) - she says this is optional...I used fresh.
1 Tablespoon chopped chives (or 3/4 teaspoon dried) - she says this is optional..I used fresh.
1 1/2 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice** (I forgot to add this and it worked fine.  I doubt I'll use it in future batches.)
1 teaspoon dry mustard**
1/2 teaspoon salt (Real Salt is recommended.  See her site for more details if interested.)
dash of cayenne pepper - she says this is optional...I used 2 dashes.
Additional herbs, if using as a dip, to taste

Notes
*'Whole New Mom' said that the original recipe called for cashews so she assumed any nut would work great.  She doesn't recommend cashews as they are the least nutritious and somewhat problematic for various reasons.
**For the vinegar, dry mustard and salt combination, you may substitute 1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard.


Directions...

1.  Grind the nuts or seeds into a "flour" in a blender or spice/coffee grinder.

2.  Add water, blend 1 minute or  until completely blended. ***

3.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

4.  Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until thick.

5.  If you are going to be using this as a dip, at this time, you may wish to add extra fresh or dried chives or other herbs like dill, to taste.

6.  Cool and then store in the refrigerator.  A glass or stainless jar is best.  It should keep for about 3 weeks.

***If you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix you can skip step 1 by placing your nuts and water in the blender and processing for 15 seconds or until thoroughly chopped.  You can also skip step 4 by processing your dip a little longer, allowing your Vitamix or Blendtec to heat the dip.  An absolute time saver! I'm also a little tempted to skip step 3 and place all the ingredients in my Vitamix at once to grind.  I think it should work great but I'll update you later when I attempt it.  FYI.  IF YOU DON'T HAVE A HIGH POWERED BLENDER like a vitamix, I'm not sure that the same method would work as favorable for you.  You may want to stick to the original steps to keep from ruining a batch of ingredients.