Sparkle Kitchen: Avocado Yogurt Dip
In this week's Martin and Sylvia: Saturdays! story, “Mother's Helper,” Mr. and Mrs. Brown's granddaughter, Laura, is coming over, and Momma asks brother and sister to be "Mother's Helpers." At first they don't feel qualified for such a responsibility, but after some games, some stories, and some tasty snacks, they realize that being a mother's helper is not only work — it is fun!
Just like Martin and Sylvia, any good mother's helper knows that it's important to give your younger charges a delicious, healthy snack. Today, we're going to talk about one you can grow in your own backyard.
Every year as we plan our garden, my children insist we grow their favorite vegetable — carrots. But no matter how much we add sand and compost to our heavy soil, our carrots always end up short and stunted. So, these past few years, we've started growing “baby carrots” instead.
Yes, this is a completely a trick on my part. You see, we're planting the exact same, full-sized carrot seeds. But by rebranding them as carrots that are supposed to be small, my children are delighted at the tiny, cute orange spears, rather than being disappointed that they're not bigger.
We like to eat our “baby carrots” with their big, green, stalk “handles” still attached, and with another garden favorite — cherry tomatoes — and this creamy avocado yogurt dip.
Avocado Yogurt Dip
Ingredients
1-2 cloves garlic
1 avocado
⅔ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
10-12 chives
½ cup water
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Roughly chop the garlic, then — using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a knife — mix it with a pinch of salt and mash it into a paste.
Next, put the garlic, avocado, yogurt, and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor. Use kitchen scissors to snip in pieces of the chives, then pulse until everything is well incorporated.
If you want a smoother dip, mix in up to ½ cup water; if you like chunkier dip, feel free to omit this step. Either way, give the dip a taste and add salt and pepper, to taste.
With the addition of the lemon juice, this dip will keep for up to two days in the fridge. Serve it with “baby” carrots (or big ones, if you're a better gardener than I!) and cherry tomatoes, or whatever your favorite backyard garden veggies may be.
About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
