Oh, how impatient I am for an actual warm day. Yes, I know, I should stop complaining. I mean, it is significantly warmer than the overly long and bitterly cold winter that we just had. But, I tell you, I just keep getting my hopes up when I look out the window in the morning only to be sorely disappointed day after day. The sun is shining, the blossoms are starting to pop out on the trees….and then when I go out side, this chilly little wind just hits me, reminding me that I still really need a jacket, and maybe I shouldn’t have been so anxious to put these shorts on just yet. Yes, I am impatient.

Well, if you feel the same way as me, let’s sit and be impatient together. And in the meanwhile, you can whip up this little dip to somewhat console you. It really is full of flavor and will make you yearn for a hot summer day. I discovered this amazing dip at a cooking class that I attended years ago with my sisters in Salt Lake City hosted by Chef Adalberto Diaz. Let me tell you, this guy has the touch of gold! I only ever went to a few of the classes, but everything he made was just to die for! He always had a loose set of directions and I was always furiously jotting notes as he seemed to alter everything as he went. He said that a cookbook was in the works. I have yet to see it hit the shelves, so in the meanwhile, I just have to savor the small stack of makeshift recipes from these classes.

Roasted Pepper Dip with Fresh Veggies

Course Appetizer, Dip

Author Christina Lakey

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
¼ cup white wine vinegar 4 tablespoons
16 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 clove garlic crushed
1 teaspoon celery salt
4 tablespoons chives finely chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lime can do less
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat gas grill to high heat. Take whole peppers and roast until the whole skin is charred. (You may also roast peppers in an oven. See notes).
Transfer roasted peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let sit for a few minutes (this will cause the peppers to sweat, loosening the skins).
Rinse burnt skin off of peppers under cold water.
Slice open peppers. Remove seeds.
In a blender or food processor, take the red pepper and puree with 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar. Set aside. Repeat with yellow pepper.
In a separate bowl, blend together sour cream, cream cheese, garlic, celery salt, the zest and juice of the lime, sugar, and chives with a hand mixer on low speed until incorporated.
Divide the mixture into two and blend 1/2 of the mixture with the red pepper puree and the other 1/2 of the mixture with the yellow pepper puree.
Pour both mixtures into a serving dish side by side at the same time.
Serve with your favorite veggies.

Recipe Notes

Change it Up:
1. For directions to roast peppers in an oven, go here. (Personally, I'm still perfecting my roasted red peppers, so I'll update when I've found my favorite technique).
2. What veggies are good with this? Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, asparagus. You can serve them raw or blanch them. (Blanching is a process where you partially cook the veggies, but then abruptly stop the cooking process. This is achieved by immersing the vegetables in boiling water for about 2 minutes and then immediately transferring them to an ice water bath. In this case for a veggie tray, the point is to make the color of the veggies pop but still maintain the crispness. FYI - Don't blanch cherry tomatoes or cucumbers).
Dress it down: For a quicker and simpler version, use jarred roasted red peppers.

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Christina | Food Apparel

I'm Christina and I'm a self-proclaimed foodie and chocoholic! I am a real estate broker by trade. I have a wonderful husband, 3 girls 4 and under (crazy!!!) and a hyper dog. Want to know my quirks? Go here for a little Q&A.