I got back from a four-day trip earlier this week and was greeted with quite a scene. The cats had been productive: upending the food and water bowls the pet sitter had refilled just that morning, re-distributing hats and gloves around the apartment, nudging my salt well directly into the trash can, and leaving exactly one poop on the stairs. After undoing all their hard work, the last thing I wanted to do was cook. Unfortunately, it was dinner time—and the leftover ham sandwiches we’d packed were long gone. I desperately wanted a tub of French onion dip and some Ruffles, but for once, I did the responsible thing: I burned some veggies and made us some dip.
Here are some facts: it’s the time of year when loads of people suddenly feel pressured to give a shit about “clean eating”—or whatever fresh hell the diet-industrial complex is cooking up for 2019—but nobody’s gonna eat a healthy snack that tastes gross. This dip elegantly threads the needle: it’s just charred vegetables blended with tahini, water, and lemon juice, but like moutabbal or baba ganouj, it’s so much more luxurious than the ingredient list implies. It’s dead simple and always tastes amazing no matter what vegetables you throw in, so even the bleakest post-vacation fridge probably has all the ingredients you need. You deserve this.
