By far, the hardest thing for me to avoid on the Whole 30 is legumes. I LOVE hummus and bean dips- like to the point where I normally eat them every single day. But, the whole point of the Whole 30 is to cut things out of your diet and then reintroduce them to see how your body reacts. I’d never know if my body reacts unusually to legumes if I just continued to eat them every day. So I think it’s worth a shot to cut them out for the month.
Anywho, I couldn’t just go along all month without some sort of delicious dip to use for all my veggies, salads and schmearing on proteins. So off I went to experiment and create a delicious Whole 30 approved dip for consuming. Introducing this delicious nut-based garlic dip.
Soaking the nuts for an hour or two and then draining and blending created that super creamy texture that I love so much. Plus the dip is packed with protein and healthy fats! I used half cashews and half walnuts, but feel free to swap them out for all cashews, or maybe some almonds.
This was also my first time experimenting with roasting a whole head of garlic! I peeled some of the excess papery layers off the head, but left it all intact and connected. It’s recommended that you cut a small sliver of the head off for easy access to your garlic… this is the pointy side of the head, so once again, they all stay connected. Drizzle with olive oil and roast at 400°F for 30-40 minutes on a sheet pan, in a muffin tin, whatever you prefer! I used a small skillet. When you remove the garlic from the oven it will be very mushy. Carefully remove with a fork!
Carrot fries are an easy and delicious vehicle for enjoying this dip, but it would also be scrumptious with roasted sweet potato fries, fresh pepper slices, cucumbers, or even atop a salad or baked on chicken. I was a little partial to making carrot fries since I had so many in beautiful colors. I’m a sucker for oddly colored produce.
WHOLE 30 CRISPY CARROT FRIES & GARLIC DIP
Prep time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Carrots:
2 lb carrots, sliced in half lengthwise
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1 tsp fresh thyme
DIP:
1/4 c cashews, soaked for a minimum of 30 minutes
1/4 c walnuts, soaked for a minimum of 30 minutes
1 whole head garlic, roasted
1/3 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
2 tbsp avocado oil
1/4 c water
- Soak nuts by submerging fully in water for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Peel excess layers off garlic and trim the head. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in 400°F for 40 minutes.
- Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet and scatter your halved carrots. Sprinkle them with salt and roast for 25 minutes. Once they begin to brown, broil on hi for one minute for an extra crisp factor. Make sure your garlic is removed from the oven before broiling!
- After removing carrots, sprinkle with fresh thyme.
- In a small bowl, add all dip ingredients and blend. I used a hand immersion blender.
- Dip & enjoy!
Dip stays fresh in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
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