Green Dip

 

Here’s a quick recipe for a delicious green dip that is a) full of vegetables, and b) eaten with vegetables. And, best of all, the Little Prince really liked it! He ate it heartily. I now serve dips and sauces in little individual melamine cups like these – they don’t break, there’s no double-dipping, and they’re just overall more fun. 

I served this green dip with carrots and broccoli; il would also be good with cucumber, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, or asparagus, for example. Or you could serve it with potato chips or pita chips. 

5 medium scallions, trimmed 

1/3 cup drained and rinsed canned cannellini beans 

1/3 cup roughly chopped chives 

¼ cup mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise or lactose-free yogurt) 

3 Tbsp. olive oil 

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) 

½ tsp. kosher salt 

2 cups packed baby spinach 

Heat an oiled grill pan over medium-high. Add scallions to hot pan and cook, flipping once, pressing down with a spatula occasionally, until grill marks appear and scallions are charred in spots, 1 to 2 minutes per side. (Alternatively, broil scallions in oven on a baking sheet until charred in spots, about 3 minutes – this was my preferred method.) Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop; you should have a heaping ⅓ cup. 

Add beans, chives, mayonnaise, oil, lemon juice, and salt to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and chopped scallions; blend, stopping to push contents down and scrape sides of bowl as needed, until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. 

Dip can be made up to 2 days in advance; cover and refrigerate.