Kale & Spinach Dip
Hmmm….Kale and Spinach - you are probably thinking, “my kids will never eat this”. But before you decide to move on, let me tell you that although this protein-packed dip has got half a dozen veggies, including two leafy greens, the kids can’t get enough of it! It is deliciously creamy and comes together in just a few minutes.
This dish has a lot of veggies for the kids to touch, feel, smell, taste and indulge in their favorite kitchen activity - chopping. At times I find that very little ones get so carried away with chopping, that something that just needed to be cubed or sliced is chopped to the point of being minced! :-) This is the perfect dish for engaging them in a few minutes of mindful chopping.
The thick creamy Greek yogurt with a tad bit of mayonnaise makes the perfect base for adding onion, garlic, herbs & spices to create the classic ranch flavor - a flavor that kids recognize immediately when we do a taste test in class. After all, ranch is America's most popular dressing and for very long has been marketed as a means of getting kids to love vegetables. And not just kids, adults dig it too. Ranch is the most ordered salad dressing in restaurants.
If your kids love to eat their veggies & salads doused in ranch dressing, this dip is a must try. It’s just creamy, tangy, wholesome goodness, minus the saturated fat, insane amount of sodium, MSG and other nasties that cannot be pronounced.
Use it as a dip with pita chips or crackers or as a filling for sandwiches or pita bread. Spread it on bagel thins instead of cream cheese. Or on tortillas and roll them up to make pinwheels.
The veggies we are using in here are -
Kale - This tough green adds color and texture to the dip. You don’t really taste the kale. No need to massage it. The yogurt makes it nice and pliable, almost like spinach. Use any variety, including baby kale.
Baby Spinach - Spinach and creamy dips are a match made in heaven.
Corn - Who doesn’t like corn? Use fresh or frozen. If using frozen corn, leave it outside to thaw and come to room temperature before adding it in.
Jicama - Have you tried jicama? Jicama (pronounced hee-kah-ma) is a crisp and refreshing root vegetable native to mexico. It is available at most supermarkets and at Mexican stores. It is similar in texture to daikon radish and is most commonly eaten raw. Jicama batons sprinkled with chili and lime juice are a popular street snack in Mexico.
Carrots - Probably the next most accepted vegetable by kids after potatoes, carrots are high in fiber and a good source of beta-carotene. Great in this dip combined with full fat Greek yogurt as beta-carotene is a fat soluble nutrient and needs to be eaten with fat for maximum absorption.
Scallions - Also known as green onions, spring onions and salad onions. Did you know scallions are way more nutritious than common white onions? We use both, white and the green parts here, and they add a pleasing crunch to the dip.
Bell Pepper - Red or yellow add a color pop, but use any color you have on hand.
I like using full fat Greek yogurt for a fuller, more rounded and satisfying taste. It is also a healthier option as full fat dairy is easier to digest, contains less sugar and is more satiating. Best to eat as nature intended.
Kale & Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 cup finely chopped kale
1/2 cup finely chopped spinach
3 scallions, white & green parts, finely chopped
1/4 cup jicama, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 tbsp carrot, grated or finely chopped
3 tbsp sweet corn, thawed if frozen
1 plump clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dill weed or 2 tsp fresh dill fronds
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Wash all veggies and pat dry. Chop and keep aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, minced garlic, onion & garlic powder, dill weed, salt & pepper and whip until smooth.
Add in the chopped vegetables and with a spoon or a spatula mix well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Refrigerate for at least 30 mins before serving.
Get the kids cooking:
Start with helping the kids collect all the ingredients for the dip.
Let them wash the veggies and chop them. The vegetables used in here are easy to chop with kids’ knives. Grate the carrots on the large holes of the box grater.
Lead by example and taste or munch on the vegetables as you work on this dish. Take the time to explore each one. Talk about the texture, smell, taste and how you think it will contribute to the dish. This is also a great time to introduce fun/ quirky facts about the ingredients. For example, although scallions look like baby onions, they are their own vegetable. They don’t grow into big onions with papery skins. Children are usually fascinated by these fun facts and soak them up like a sponge. The more familiar and confident they feel around real food, the more likely they are to be accepting of it and actually enjoy it.
Although kids love chopping, sometimes they may get overwhelmed with the task. I usually cut the veggies into stripes and ask them to chop it into smaller pieces. Keep it fun and flowing.
Kids can mix the yogurt, mayo & spices. Do a taste test at this point before you add the veggies. If your kids like ranch dressing, they will be super thrilled to have just created their own!
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Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram and tag it with the hashtag #nibblengobble.
