Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Garlic Dip

Dawnab's Note:

This is a wonderful dip for crackers, the sweetness of the peppers is mellowed with the spicyness of the garlic. I use one fresh lime for the juice, it works fine. Very elegant looking on a cracker tray and it is also good on veggies.

• Total Time: 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 1.0 cup

• 2 roasted red peppers, peeled and seeded
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• thin crackers or toasted baguette, sliced

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in food processor.
2. Process until smooth.
3. If desired, garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley or basil.

Reviews

[Bill Hilbrich]

New cooks might want to know that bell peppers can be roasted by sticking them with a long fork and holding them over a flame until the skin is charred. Then put them, while still hot, into a closed brown paper bag and the steam will loosen the skin. Red Bell Peppers are a little sweeter than the green ones, but also more expensive. A frugel cook can use the green peppers and add a little sugar to the dip.

[La Dilettante]

Really tasty combination of flavors. I used a mixture of sour cream and mayo instead of cream cheese (that being what I had on hand) and sprinkled a bit of smoked paprika into the mix. The basil and lime juice are magic! This goes in my file for sure---thanks, Dawnab! (Note: because my version is thinner, it would be really good as a sauce over a grilled fish or asparagus, I think!)

[Amlaphq]

This is fantastic! I've never made anything like this before, but it was easy and turned out great. The hardest part was roasting the pepper. I went to this website http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Roasting-Peppers/Detail.aspx which gave step by step instructions and pictures. I think I could have roasted them a little longer, but I was afraid of burning them. I also halved the recipe to try it the first time and used Neufchatel to cut the fat somewhat. Great recipe!