Dip It And They Will Eat

One sure way to get your kids to eat vegetables and fruit is to cut them into spears – the fruits and veggies, not the kids – and give them a delicious dip to dunk them in.
Here are three great dips that work. The onion dip is so ridiculously well known I feel guilty including it; it’s here only to encourage you to try tofu sour cream – I use the Tofutti brand largely because I think it’s the only one. It makes the recipe vegan and squashes tofu into your kid’s diet; I consider that a positive, and experts who know more about such things than I do assure me that eating tofu will not make little boys grow man tits. Flavour-wise, if you can tell the difference between tofutti sour cream and dairy sour cream-based onion dip your palate is considerably more discerning than mine.
Incidentally, if you have friends who insist that they hate tofu, serve them this dip with veggies or chips without telling them what’s in it. Bring up tofu, and wait for them to say, “Yuck! I never eat tofu!”
“You just did,” you respond nonchalantly.
“I’m not going to grow man tits, am I?” they ask.
“Not according to the experts,” you assure them.
The hummus recipe makes the best hummus I’ve ever tried. Hummus can tend to be boring, if you don’t zest it up a bit it resembles wallpaper paste. No matter how adventurous a palate a kid has, wallpaper paste is a tough sell. This hummus is distinctly non-wallpaper-past-y, and has the added benefit of being relatively low in fat, to boot.
Finally, the vegan dream fruit dip. Absolutely sensational; I’ve made my reputation at many a party serving this dip. You may question the cognac in a recipe meant for children, but it certainly helps the rugrats sleep well. Ar ar ar. But seriously, it’s only a little bit of cognac, and you can always leave it out; the dip still rocks.

ONION DIP (VEGAN)

1-12 ounce tub Tofutti brand “Better Than Sour Cream”
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Mix the sour cream and soup mix together with a fork. Better yet, get your kid to do it for you. That’ll keep them busy while you start to hack up the vegetables you’ll use as dippers, or if you do as we do at my house, open the Stew Leonard’s veggie tray.
The dip is better if you refrigerate it for a couple of hours; the onions soften. But it never lasts that long at our house, and we don’t mind the crunchy onions.

HUMMUS (YEP, ALSO VEGAN)

2 cups drained, canned chickpeas; reserve 2 Tablespoons liquid
1/3 cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic (or 4 whole cloves)
1 Tablespoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste; a little goes a long way)
Paprika (for garnish)
1 Tablespoon olive oil (for garnish)
Alfalfa sprouts (for garnish, optional)

In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process all non-garnish ingredients until smooth. Put into serving bowl. Sprinkle with paprika. Drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with alfalfa sprouts if you like. Serve with quartered pita breads and veggie spears (carrots, celery, peppers, cukes, or any others your kids like).

VEGAN DREAM FRUIT DIP

12 ounces (1 ½ tubs) Tofutti “Better Than Cream Cheese”
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 cup Tofutti “Better Than Sour Cream”
7 ounces marshmallow ice cream topping (I use Smucker’s; you can use Marshmallow Fluff but it’s not vegan)
4 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional)

Put cream cheese in food processor; process until smooth. Add confectioner’s sugar and process until well blended. Add remaining ingredients and process until blended. Dips are so easy, aren’t they? You really don’t need directions.
Chill for several hours. Serve with fruit and even cubed poundcake if you like, but of course that defeats the point of getting your kids to eat healthier.
Incidentally, this makes a great filling for a fruit tart. Make (or buy) a graham cracker crust, ladle in as much dream fruit dip as will fit, and chill til firm. Have your kids help you to artfully arrange fruits on top – kiwi slices are pretty and tasty, too – and coat with melted apple jelly. Beautiful, delicious, and thrifty, too – you saved yourself a bundle over buying it at Balducci’s.