It’s the season of green and red.  It’s also the season of parties, potlucks and family gatherings.  My most recent post was red so today I’ll bring you something green.  This is a great recipe for the above mentioned occasions–one that won’t leave you feeling guilty, weighed down or bored with the same old things.

I wish I could think of a more creative name for this dip, but what the name lacks in creativity the dip makes up for in taste!  We made this for our Village Lights open house and it was certainly a crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peas (fresh is great, but frozen is a perfect substitute–thawed of course)
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 oz goat cheese (or part-skim ricotta if you want something lighter)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan (freshly grated if you can–it’s tastier & actually cheaper than the powder in the plastic shakey-shake cans)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in the food processor and whirl away until you reach a smooth consistency.  Chunks are okay, except in the case of garlic so mince those puppies up first.  You can add more water or oil to thin the dip further, but be sure to adjust the salt & pepper afterward.
2. Serve with crudités, pita chips or toasted bread slices. Pumpernickel is a perfect pairing for taste and appearance.