Roasted Red Pepper Dip

On Sunday, I didn't have a clue about what I was going to make for dinner. I gardened, I did stuff around the house, but I didn't think about dinner until around 5 o'clock. At that point, I lit the barbecue and pulled a pound or so of shrimp out of the freezer. I marinated that for a little while, then threaded the shrimp onto skewers. In the meantime, I cut up zucchini, peppers, celery; whatever I could find for crudites. Next, I threw this dip together in the food processor. The basic recipe comes Sarah Leah Chase's, "Nantucket Open-house Cookbook". I made a few changes to make it quicker, and voila! Note: I also threw hot dogs on the barbecue for the kids.

The most time consuming part of this dip would have been roasting the peppers. However, you can buy jars of roasted red peppers that save lots of time. I even saw roasted yellow peppers at one of my local grocery stores recently. If you have lots of fresh peppers that you would like to roast, try this. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rub a light layer of olive oil on the whole peppers. Place whole peppers in the oven. Every so often, give them a turn so the peppers blacken evenly. When they are finished, they should be somewhat black on the skin, but not completely, and getting soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and place in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let sit for about 20 minutes. This steaming makes the skin peel off very easily. Remove the skin and the seeds and you are ready to go.

I recently put a grilled shrimp recipe on the Clean Food Connection website. If you have a chance, check out the recipes that I have been contributing to their website. www.cleanfoodconnection.com/catalog/recipes

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

2 whole roasted red peppers
8 oz. plain goat cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste

1. Place peppers, goat cheese, garlic, and olive oil in the food processor. Process until smooth. Place the dip into a large bowl and stir in the basil and the salt & pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy with crudites, or just about anything!