I really enjoyed eating this flavorful and refreshing dip with cucumber slices for lunch one day on the Green Diet. It reminded me of baba ganoush, which is an eggplant dip made in a similar way, but this was green. I would think you could substitute herbs in this recipe to get a different taste or maybe even add a few spinach leaves to make it a darker green. Adding fresh oregano instead of basil would work too. I love the black salt and cumin combination. I combine those two ingredients and put them in a salt shaker and sprinkle it on vegetables or dal when I want a black salt fix - also cumin helps the absorption of the nutrients in your body more efficiently. You can find black salt and cumin at the Indian Grocery store near you. Black Salt has a lot of iron and is good for the digestion and the eyes.
2-3 cloves garlic
1 Cup Arichoke Hearts (I used frozen from Trader Joes)
6-8 Fresh Basil Leaves
1/2 cup chopped Green Chilies (mild)
1 Juiced Lemon
2 Tablespoons Sesame Butter (Tahini)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
regular salt & pepper to taste
2 cucumbers peeled and sliced. Drizzle lemon juice and sprinkle with black salt and cumin (optional).
Put garlic in food processor and chop, add the rest of the ingredients (except for the cucumbers/black salt/cumin) and pulse. Should be somewhat chunky and smooth at the same time. Eat with cucumber slices drizzled with the lemon juice or any other green dipping vegetable.
Recipe by Atma Kaur Khalsa 4/18/08