Creative Crudites with Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
By Dana Jacobi for the
American Institute for Cancer Research

When I was growing up, crudites were served only in little French restaurants, the kind where the menu was handwritten in barely readable ornate script. Served as a first course, a plate of crudités typically consisted of little domes of finely-shredded carrots, beets and cabbage, all glistening with olive oil.

In the 1970s, as wider use of farm-fresh "veggies" spread from California, crudités also became more common, but as a new breed. Like us Yanks, they were bigger and bolder than their French cousins. In the health-conscious era of Nouvelle Cuisine, they morphed from a form of salad to strips, slices and chunks of veggies to munch or use to scoop up dips. Their primary function was to replace fattening potato chips and crackers at the cocktail hour, and to make eating raw vegetables generally more enticing. Essential at every gathering, crudites appeared everywhere, from artistically-arranged showpieces at $1,000-a-plate charity benefits to careless heaps of carrot and celery sticks at potluck dinners.

As a caterer during the excess-is-good eighties, I was known for creating memorable crudités. For a client with huge, antique vases, I arranged cauliflower florets and cabbage leaves in immense bouquets to compliment the maroon of the porcelain containers. For casual parties, I snaked long, thin carrot strips onto skewers, slipping cherry tomatoes into the curves. Topped with a triangle of green or yellow pepper and inserted into a big loaf of bread, the skewers were a playful explosion of color.

For the coming holidays, you could make an arrangement that is much simpler yet equally festive. On a serving plate, arrange rings of broccoli florets and cherry tomatoes in a "bulls-eye" design, or cover a cutting board with a rainbow of different colored fruit, from bands of red and yellow bell pepper slices and green sugar snap pea pods, to pale slices of zucchini, cucumber and white daikon radish. Another option is to arrange bundles of asparagus next to this bright, bean-based dip.

Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

2 large red bell peppers or 1 jar (12 oz.), drained
1 can (15 oz.) can white beans, rinsed and drained
10 marinated sun-dried tomato halves, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 Tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. dry oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground chipotle chili powder or pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Grill fresh peppers over open flame or under broiler until their skins are blackened all over, using tongs to turn often, about 5 minutes. Place peppers in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit 20 minutes. When skin is loosened, pull it away with your fingers. (Some black bits will remain.) Open peppers and remove seeds and ribs. Coarsely chop peppers.

Place peppers in food processor or blender and puree. Add beans, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, mayonnaise, oregano, cumin and chili powder or cayenne. Process to a smooth puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Dip is best if it sits an hour before serving. It keeps up to 3 days, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.

Makes 2 1/2 cups, with a suggested serving of 1 tablespoon.

Per tablespoon: 18 calories, less than 1 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 3 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. protein, 1 g. dietary fiber, 22 mg. sodium.