Lemon Thyme Artichoke Dip ~ a summer fresh delight

"There is no such thing as a little garlic"  ~ Arthur Baer.

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Every morning, I visit my little herb garden to see what surprises await me.



My sons made these beautiful elevated herb boxes for me

on Mother's day this year (with a little help from their dad)

The herb boxes are made of cedar. So not only do the herbs smell delicious, the boxes do too! (they remind me of that smoky, intoxicating sauna smell...which reminds me of skiing... which reminds me of jacuzzis... which reminds me of saunas... the perfect circle of life).

More importantly, the herb boxes are elevated and away from a certain girl who would absolutely and unequivocally love to devour them, roots and all.

who, moi?

Doesn't she perform innocent well? Just look at those chocolate brown eyes... they'll melt your heart while she quietly goes about destroying your property (gone are my kiwi plants; raspberry bushes, tulips and I'm in the fight of my life for our precious lilac tree).  Good thing I love the little stinker to pieces.

Anyway, today, in my elevated herb boxes, the lemon thyme was calling out to me.  I decided to use it in this summery version of artichoke dip.

With a solid protein content, this dip is the perfect accompaniment to fresh, hydrating vegetables.  Summer delicious.

 Lemon Thyme Artichoke Dip ~ a summer fresh delight

• 1 400 ml bottle whole artichokes (about 1 + 1/2 cups), drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp pitted green olives, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon thyme, chopped + more for garnish
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp tarragon vinegar (substitute rice vinegar)
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• sea salt & coarse black pepper to taste

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Notes:

This dip has got some good ol' fashion zing to it.

If zing is not your thing, you may wish to tone down the raw garlic (the primary source of zing) and/or skip the jalapeno.






Why Garlic?

Those of us who love garlic don't need any excuses to consume copious amounts of this allium, but just in case some of you are curious...

Research suggests that garlic may help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure as well as assist in helping prevent heart attacks by reducing the potential of blood clotting.

Raw garlic is also known for its antibacterial and antiviral properties.

The compound that is principally responsible for garlic's disease-fighting ability (and characteristic smell) is allicin.  Allicin is formed after garlic is crushed or chopped and is best left exposed to air for at least a few minutes prior to cooking or integrating in food to activate maximum health benefits.

Garlic smell in your fingers?  Try rubbing a few drops of vanilla essence on your finger tips to tone down the stinking rose.

As for your breath?  Easy solution: make sure your partner eats plenty of garlic too!

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Directions:


Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency is achieved.

Keep dip stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.  It will keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

You can enjoy it throughout the week - with vegetables, as a sandwich spread, on poultry, chicken or your burgers.  It's wonderfully versatile and flavourful.

Have fun with it.