Drumroll…. here’s the third recipe in this year’s Zucchini Throwdown and I’m dedicating it to Roxana of A Little Bit of Everything because of her kind comment urging me to keep them coming on my previous post where I declared an end to zucchini season 🙂 Don’t get the wrong impression, just because this humble dip is third isn’t an indication of it’s overall popularity. In fact, based on ease of preparation and popularity, it should have been first! I’ve made this dip for my family at least 5 times so far this summer, it was a hit with The Young Baker and her college buddies at a recent pool party at our house, and was devoured at a recent monster graduation party that one of our close friends had for their lovely daughter.
Dips are instant party food; always popular with kids and adults alike this one’s much healthier and lower in fat than the traditional heavy on the mayo and/or sour cream dips – especially if served with vegetable crudites or tortilla chips. I loved these colorful red, white, and blue tortilla chips from Trader Joes which I first bought for the 4th of July for the pool party. They still have them in some of the stores, if you like them too.
I adapted this recipe from Everyday Food (January/February 2011) edition that I downloaded on my iPad, substituting goat cheese for ricotta because it’s lower in sodium and, IMHO more flavorful, and added a welcome tangy bite to the delicate flavor of zucchini.
Creamy Zucchini and Goat Cheese Dip
Adapted from Everyday Food (Jan/Feb 2011) Yield: about 1½ cups
1 medium zucchini, grated
1-2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ cup goat cheese
zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1. Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Roll up and gently press down to release liquid from the zucchini. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over med-high heat. Add the zucchini, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender and golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat. Let cool. Add the goat cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with chips, crackers, or crudites.
Enjoy 🙂
Faith
That looks like a super tasty dip! I love garlic paired with zucchini…and that creamy texture from the goat cheese sounds fantastic!
Priscilla
Thanks, Faith. Garlic pairs well with almost any veggie in my book 😉
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Whoa. Seriously this looks AWESOME! Zucchini are the best and I love your addition of goat cheese. 🙂
Priscilla
Thanks, Kate! The goat cheese really amped it up 🙂
Angie's Recipes
The dip looks terrific! Are those red one beet chips?
Priscilla
Thanks, Angie! No the red ones are tortilla chips – I’ll have to check to see what they color them with.
Patty
Gotta love Everyday Food on the iPad and your adaption of this recipe, yum and watch out zucchinis, I’m a coming for ya;-)
Priscilla
Thx,Patty! I’ve got Food and Wine on there too 🙂
sippitysup
Perfect party dip. Hey I am having a pool party Sunday, hmmmm… GREG
Patti
I’ll have to try this one. I have lemon thyme in my garden and goat cheese in my fridge. A zucchini should be easy to come by.
RavieNomNoms
Oh wow, that is a great dip! I am sure I have told you this before but I am SUCH a dip person. I could literally eat just dips for dinner all the time. This is definitely one that I am going to have to try immediately! I have everything but the goat cheese at home…think feta would work too??
Priscilla
Yes, feta would work! and a nice glass of sauvignon blanc or a beer 🙂
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
Love zucchini! Great idea to use it in a dip – very unique!
Liz
Oh, what a fabulous dip! I could just park myself in front of the pool with a bowl of this deliciousness and some chips~
Michelle O
I love this! It is a light option for dip. I could eat dip for dinner every night.
Lindsey@Lindselicious
Ooh this dip sounds super yummy! I love goat cheese too. I want to sccop up a big spoonful with some pita chips.
Sandra's Easy Cooking
I love how you made this dip, I never tried with zucchinis and this is really must try before they are completely out!:) Great photos as always!
5 Star Foodie
Sounds like a fantastic dip with the combination of zucchini and goat cheese, nice!
kita
Hmmm. I’ve never had zucchini in this kitchen but as a dip I could sneak it in…. Way to get my wheels working! This looks great – thanks!!
Roxana GreenGirl
Hi Priscilla,
Thank you so much for this delicious dip and for mentioning my name. It really touched my heart.
I’ve already made it and turned out amazing!!! Oh my goodness, I wish I could eat it every day.
Thank you once again
Hugs
Kelly
Yummy what a delicious dip, this looks fantastic 🙂
Nami | Just One Cookbook
What a creamy yummy dip!! I love Trader Joe’s chips and I bet they go well with this dip!
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time
You could have done nothing better than dedicate this to Roxana, not just because of her love of zucchini, but because she’s so amazingly sweet. I love the fact that this is family-tested and approved. It looks fantastic and yes, it will get made! It’s good to meet you. I’m glad that Roxana pointed me this way.
Priscilla
Hi Mom Chef – nice meeting you, too! Roxana is a sweetheart for sure. I’m coming over to visit you now 🙂
Kate @ Kate from Scratch
Looks delicious. Zucchini is wonderful, and I’m so happy Roxana inspired you to keep on with the amazing recipes. Great dip.
Val
Gorgeous recipe and a great way to use zucchini. I actually think that my husband would happily eat this despite his dislike for zucchini.Perfect!
Magic of Spice
What a wonderful summer recipe…I would not have though of zucchini in a dip, love it!
Sarah
This was fantastic and can’t wait to take it to friends house to share. I came home from the farmers market with a few very large zucchini and didn’t know what to make and stumbled on the recipe and I am so glad I did. I didn’t have fresh thyme so I used 1/4 tsp. ground and I served it warm. It is my new favorite!