Last night I made this delicious vegan “ricotta” dip for my parents who are in town visiting us. The boys and I are having a blast with them, though I am having an especially great time, since I have extra mouths to feed, which means more guinea pigs to test my creations!
Luckily, the parents (and husband) approved of, and devoured, this tangy vegan cheese dip, based on a recipe from the phenomenal book Entertaining in the Raw
Creamy "Ricotta" Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup pine nuts, soaked overnight
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 scallion (green and white parts, remove and discard tip), minced
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
Instructions
- Rinse pine nuts in cold water; then discard both soaking and rinsing water
- Place pine nuts in a food processor, along with lemon juice and water
- Process for 1-2 minutes, scraping down side of processor frequently, until smooth
- Process in scallions, thyme and salt, until texture of ricotta
- Remove from food processor to a serving dish
- Serve with your favorite dipping veggies
Equipment
I had a bit of a challenge getting this mixture to process; if that happens to you, just add a bit more liquid (lemon juice or water) very sparingly until mixture blends more easily and keep scraping down the mixture into the center of the food processor.
In addition to an abundance of cooking and baking, a lot is going on over here and I’m trying to keep up! Below is a list of interviews and appearances that I have coming up in the next few weeks to promote the release of my book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.
- Interview with Martha Stewart Living Radio’s Whole Living program, August 26th
- Book signing at the Culinary Institute of America’s 4th Annual Gluten-Free Summit, Hyde Park, New York, September 12th
- Speaker at the 2009 BlogHer Food Agenda Conference in San Francisco, September 26th
If you’re in the area of any of these events and would like to say “hello,” tune in or drop by!
Carol says
How much ricotta…not mentioned in ingredient list?
Elana says
Carol, this is a vegan ricotta dip that uses nuts instead of cheese :-)
Sheila says
Just wonder if this recipe can ben made in a Vitamix?
Thanks.
Marianne says
Could you use another but? I don’t do welkbwith pine nuts.
Linda Germanetti says
Whole Foods sells a product…”Hail Merry Miracle Tarts”….raw oils, vegan & gluten free. My favorite is the Persian Lime. Although the ingredients are listed, I do not have your expertise in trying to make this on my own. Would love it if you had a similar recipe. Thank you so very much as you have made my life so much better!
Amy says
Yes!!!! I love those things!! Would be awesome of Elana came up wth a recipe for that!!? Pretty please, Elana??
Lisa C says
Made the dip last night…excellent! I recently found you searching for Dairy free recipes. I am nursing and my son has a milk and soy protein allergy. I am a huge creamy and cheesy dip person. This was so good, of course I added some fresh garlic to it:) I was thinking of taking the concept and turning it into a sweet version for a canoli or cheesecake type dessert:) I took a little of this dip and threw it on some chicken with some pasta sauce! So good! Everything I have tried of yours is delicious! Thank you, thank you:)
Tyler says
This also works great if you add 1 tsp maybe even less of Miso and or a few drops of umi vinegar or paste, made from umiboshi plums. You can get chick pea miso at healthfood stores. It adds a cheesy flavor!
Kathleen says
Just made this dip, excellent!! A keeper for sure. Thanks.
marie says
Hello there Elana,
I think this dip is great. Do your readers know that Pine Nuts or Pinon as they are called in spanish are the best, best, best from New Mexico? I’m sure you can get organic. When they are in season, fly, walk and run to get them. When I was a kid we lived in S.F. and my parents’ family would send boxes of pinon, we would crack them and if we could resist eating them (usually a handful were eaten on the spot), my mom would soak them in water and some salt, then roast them in the oven for a wonderful snack. She used them often in empanadas (turnovers) with raisins (and sometimes some type of protein). A dip sounds wonderful. My question is, “Why not call it Pine Nut Dip, or Pinon Dip? It sounds so much more exotic. The n in pinon has an ~ on top and has this sound nny so pinnyon. (I hope I don’t sound condescending for all those whose spanish is much better than mine! If I do, I apologize). Anyway, I’d like to try it at a party and see what happens. I’ll let you know. Thanks and congrats on the book! Peace, Marie
Verde says
I agree with you. Pine nuts are not something to skimp on. Inferior nuts are causing an issue of long-lasting bitter metallic taste affecting anything a person eats or drinks for days, sometimes weeks at a time. The phenomenon has taken on the moniker of “Pine Mouth” for lack of a better term.
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2009/05/got-pine-mouth.html
“Saving” a bit of money just isn’t worth it. Buy the best.
But love the raw recipe!
barbara says
ooh, I bet that is tasty. I will have to give it a go sometime soon. thanks!
Karyl says
Hm, I bet this recipe would substitute well for the ricotta in lasagne! I’ve been dying to make gluten free lasagne but hadn’t found anything to take the place of the ricotta. I’ll let you know how it turns out when I try it.