Smoky Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Spread

So I set out to make Muhammara, or at least something closely inspired by it. It's a middle eastern condiment. Authentic versions blend roasted red peppers with toasted walnuts, bread crumbs, aleppo chili flakes, pomegranate molasses, lemon & olive oil. Instead of Aleppo chili I used a combination of smoked paprika and regular chili flakes, because this is what I had on hand. While this recipe might not be authentic, it's really tasty.

This dip or spread is really versatile too.

Sandwich
It is DELICIOUS spread on a sandwich.
Toast a couple slices of your favourite bread, add tomato, cucumber, sprouts, a slice of cheeze and this spread..Yummmy….. but use whatever you want for sandwich fillings!

Chips n Dip
When I'm eating it as a dip with pita chips or crackers, I like to top it with (or you could blend it together) a little bit of vegan cream cheese. The red pepper dip packs a flavour punch so it really lends well to this combination. Alternatively if you can get fauxmage vegan feta available at Sobeys, I used some of that to garnish it one night too instead of the cream cheese and it was really tasty. The feta is creamy and has a brightness that contrasts really wonderfully with the sweet smokiness of the red pepper spred. 


Roasted Cauliflower, Toasted Walnut, Feta, Fresh Mint 
A really beautiful way to serve this roasted red pepper & walnut dip is with roasted vegetables. Especially good was the roasted cauliflower version I prepared. If I had a vegan café, I would probably put this on the menu. It's simple but has great flavour and visually appealing too. Yum, Here is the break down

• Add a few good spoonfuls of the roasted red pepper dip to your plate and swirl it around.
• Top with roasted cauliflower. (roast cauliflower chunks at 425F just drizzle with a bit of veg oil S+P and pop in the oven...you want them to still have a bit of crunch/texture so don't over cook them)
• Sprinkle on a handful of toasted walnuts, vegan feta (I used fauxmage)**, and fresh mint & thyme.

** If I didn't have this feta which is bright and creamy, I would add a squeeze of lemon to the cauliflower...but if you can get the feta or another brand you like.... it is a fun addition.

Smoky Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Dip

Ingredients:

• 227 g walnuts
• 4 whole roasted red peppers (i used store bought whole roasted peppers if you cant find those just get 4 fresh red peppers and roast yourself)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (or until desired consistency **explained below)
•  2 tbsp olive oil
•  1/4 tsp chile flakes
•  2 tsp smoked paprika
•  3 tsp lemon juice
•  2 tsp pomegranate molasses
•  2 cloves garlic
•  1.5 tsp salt

Method: 

1.  Blend all ingredients together in a food processor except for the bread crumbs.
2. When the mixture is smooth, you can start adding breadcrumbs a bit at a time. This is what thickens the dip. I used gluten free dried breadcrumbs because that is what I had on hand. It took a lot of extra blending to get the texture smooth, but it did work in the end. Ideally I would recomend fresh breadcrumbs. That is what I will plan for next time. 
   
3.  Use the dip wherever you fancy....and ENJOY....
   

XOXO Trisha