Friday, March 26, 2010

Cleo Coyle's Roasted Garlic Dip & the Ugly Truth About Writing

So after last week's Twilight Cauliflower, I have rediscovered my love of raw vegetables, and now I am on the hunt for vegetable dip recipes. Feel free to share your favorites with me or post links to your recipes in the comments section below...

Yeah, sure, everyone knows raw vegetables are filled with vitamins, antioxidants, and a lot of other polysyllabic good stuff. But the real reason I'm doing the veggies and dip thing is this: the ugly truth about writing...
Click the arrow in the YouTube window below and you will see the trailer for the 2002 film Adaptation (staring Nick Cage). IMHO this film is the most accurate depiction of a writer's process that I've ever seen. And (as you will quickly notice in the clip) the very first thing Nick Cage thinks when sitting down at this typewriter (in his role as screenwriter Charlie Kaufman) is: What should I write on this blank page? The second thing he thinks is...


"Coffee would help me think.Coffee and a muffin..."


Yes, constantly stuffing one's face is the biggest hazard for any writer diligently working under deadline. And if you don't want to be three times the size you were when you started your book (or adaptation), then you had better pack your fridge with things like....oh, raw veggies and roasted garlic dip...




With that ugly truth revealed, I give you today's super-easy, super-healthy recipe, filled with creamy, roasty garlicky flavor and sprightly top notes of sunny lemon. This dip is delicious on raw veggies, including cauliflower, carrots, celery, broccoli, and...heck, the skies the limit...
Cleo Coyle's Roasted
Garlic Veggie Dip

For a printable copy
of this recipe,
CLICK HERE



Makes 1 cup

30 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste


Step 1 -- Roast the garlic. Place 30 cloves of fresh, peeled garlic into a baking dish in a single layer. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a splash of water. Lightly toss to coat. Cover with alumimum foil and bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes. You are looking for your cloves to display some nice caramelized color (without going to the Dark Side). Check them out at 30 minutes, stir them around and continue cooking uncovered until you've reached the level of "roasted" flavor that you prefer. Remove from oven and set aside.


Step 2 -- Mash up the 30 roasted garlic cloves with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. (The garlic will be very soft after roasting and you can simply mash it up with the prongs of a fork.) In a small bowl, combine the plain yogurt, sour cream, and lemon juice. Stir in the mashed up garlic and chill the dip. The longer you chill it, the more the roasted garlic flavor will develop. Serve with your favorite raw vegetables, and....




Eat with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle, author of 


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including my bestselling
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14 comments:

  1. Oh, that trailer was so *funny*! I haven't seen "Adaption" and I'm going to have to go to the Blockbuster and rent it for the weekend.

    And coffee and a muffin DO sound good right about now. :)

    I keep thinking that something healthy in my fridge would be a good thing. And I LOVE veggies. And garlic. This sounds perfect, Cleo!

    Riley/Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder

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  2. I don't know how I missed "Adaption" but now I've got to see it. Coffee and a (chocolate) muffin, perfect breakfast.

    The dip sounds good and I love the cover of "Roast Mortem."

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  3. Another for the Netflix queue, but first we need a house and a television.

    I used to serve my kids raw veggies & dip as "happy hour" while they watched whatever tv show was on in the early evening -- probably Sesame Street. They loved it. For kids, almost anything mixed with a little mayo makes a great dip. In a pinch, that works for grownups too. One easy one is pesto added to mayo.

    Back in the day, the big dip favorite was dill dip. Equal parts mayo and sour cream, dehydrated onions, Beau Monde seasoning & dill.

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  4. Cleo, I like cottage cheese and salty spices for a dip. Add a teaspoon of lowfat sour cream or lowfat mayonnaise if you like for a little consistency. But it's the salty spices - a mixture of paprika, pepper, salt, and cayenne -- that give it a zip and go great with veggies!
    ~Avery

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  5. The favorite here is Knorr vegetable dip with spinach. One thing I usually do is replace any mayo or sour cream with fat free plain yoghurt - same zip, less cholesterol.

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  6. A garlic lover's delight!

    Terry, what a smart mom you are!

    ~ Krista

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  7. Loved the movie trailer! I can just picture my hubby coming home - "It smells like garlic in here. What have you been doing today?" Writing!

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  8. since you asked for suggestions... I guest blog once a week at OUR KRAZY KITCHEN... I recently did a spot on a Pina Colada Veggie dip, that is incredible... so easy and fast, but among the best things I have ever eaten...

    http://thekrazykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/pina-colada-dip-taste-of-caribbean-ala.html

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  9. Oh, so many good recipes so little time!
    I love garlic. Can't wait to try this.

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  10. Garlic and sour cream! Mine, mine, all MINE!! Lovely recipe. I have not seen Adaptation and now that I've seen the trailer I have to get the DVD!

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  11. Nice recipe - I love garlic!

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  12. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! I love the garlic dip recipe and that muffin looks absolutely delicious :) Hope you are having a good easter!

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  13. I am always on the look out for dip recipes for veggies - it helps make the same 'ole same 'ole veggies taste fun :) Can't wait to make this one.

    Try my cilantro cream sauce (though there is no cream) for a fresh yummy change. Great on chicken and fish too!

    http://chezlafleurinmanhattan.blogspot.com/2008/11/suzees-cilantro-cream-sauce.html

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