Have you ever tried the Macro brand spinach dip with garden vegetables from Woolworths? In my opinion, together with those of our 3 boys, it’s absolutely delicious (although my husband isn’t so keen). However, the tub is only 200g, which just isn’t big enough for the 4 of us!

So I took note of the ingredients on the back of the tub and set out to make my own LARGER (3 always hungry boys) serving, experimenting with the flavours and texture as I went along. The first time I made this dip I was a little heavy-handed on the garlic and I used too much mayonnaise.  However, as we were all eating it, no one was offended with garlic breath.

This delicious dip is very easy to prepare and you can make it to your own taste and preferred texture. To make this dip vegan, simply use a egg-free mayonnaise.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon (15ml) garlic oil OR 1 tablespoon of light olive oil and ½ teaspoon (2.5ml) finely chopped garlic
90g (3.2 ounces or ⅔ cup) diced carrot
75g (2.6 ounces or a slightly heaped ½ cup) finely diced white onion
50g (1.8 ounces or a slightly heaped ⅓ cup) frozen peas, defrosted
2 large spring onions, sliced
80g (2.8 ounces or 2 firmly packed cups) fresh baby spinach, washed, trimmed and shredded
90g (3.2 ounces or 6 tablespoons) gluten-free mayonnaise
4-5 teaspoons (20ml-25ml) white vinegar, to taste
¾ teaspoon (3.75ml) mustard powder
½ teaspoon (2.5ml) golden/raw caster sugar or superfine white sugar
½ teaspoon (2.5ml) onion powder
½ teaspoon (2.5ml) garlic powder
Freshly ground pepper & salt to taste

Heat the oil over a medium low heat and add all your vegetables, except the shredded spinach.

Sauté until soft, stirring frequently, this takes about 10 minutes.

Then add the shredded spinach and mix through until it’s wilted, before removing from heat and transferring to a dish to cool.

In a medium blender, add the mayonnaise, mustard powder, sugar, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then give it a quick blitz to combine all the ingredients.

Now, add the vegetables to the blender and pulse until you get the texture you want. You can make it as chunky or as smooth as you like.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Then transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight. Serve with your favorite chips, snacks or crudities.

Recipe by: The Gluten & Dairy Free Bakehouse