Dill Dip with Raw Veggies

posted on August 26, 2010 by

The past two days have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for me as I’ve been preparing to set Luke up with a safe environment at preschool.  Preschool is a dietary-restricted parent’s worst nightmare!  Gluten and food allergens are EVERYWHERE and not just in the popular processed kid fare department (have I told you lately how much I hate Goldfish crackers??). ;-)

After meeting Luke’s WONDERFUL new teacher yesterday, I found myself on a desperate scavenger hunt looking for:

  • A gallon of Elmer’s Glue (one needs the gallon size for frequent “flubber” making and his school does not use Elmer’s glue, which I know is gluten-free.  I haven’t heard back from the company that makes the School Smart brand of art supplies yet, but I will let you know the gluten-free status when I do),

and…

  • Frantically looking for a case of not too hideously expensive gluten-free oats for the “tactile stimulation table.”

$@*#! WHY DO THEY HAVE TO PUT GLUTEN IN EVERYTHING?!

*sigh*

Thank you for allowing me to get that off my chest, I feel much better now and I am ready to move forward with a smile on my face! :-D

The following recipe for dill dip is the one my mom made while I was growing up and even though it is naturally gluten-free, I tweaked it anyway to make it healthier (my husband is beginning to fear that I might “tweak” him next…and I just might at the rate I’m going!).  ;-)

I also make a dairy-free version of this dip for Luke, subbing out the sour cream with So Delicious plain coconut milk yogurt.  The dairy-free version is sweeter tasting than the dairy version, but that’s just the nature of the beast.  Luke likes it and that’s all that really matters, right?

Dill Dip

3/4 cup Sour Cream (I now use Fage Fat-Free Plain Greek Yogurt which has 20 grams of protein per 8-oz. serving and is certified gluten-free).

3/4 cup Mayonnaise (I use a low-fat olive oil mayo, which has less than half the fat of regular mayo).

2 tsp. Dried Parsley Flakes

1 Tbs. Fresh Minced Onion

1 tsp. Seasoned Salt (Lawry’s is gluten-free, or you can make your own)

1 1/2 tsp. Dried Dill Weed  (I grew up using dried dill weed, but just this summer I discovered that fresh dill is DEFINITELY the way to go!  Dried dill really doesn’t have any taste whatsoever compared to fresh dill).

  • Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight until the flavors develop.
  • Serve with your favorite fresh-cut raw veggies and enjoy!

Serve with your favorite funny veggies!

The boys got a kick out of purple bell peppers this summer, Sam even developed an affinity for raw purple cauliflower (and the answer is no, Luke did not eat the purple cauliflower…he hid it in his underwear.  Imagine my surprise during a potty training session)!

Whoever said fruits and veggies are boring, must never have been to a farmer’s market! :-D

A few other things:

  • Kim from Cook It Allergy Free is doing a giveaway for Ricki Heller’s (of Diet, Dessert and Dogs) new cookbook, “Sweet Freedom,” which is filled with recipes for wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free and refined-sugar free treats!  Did you know that Sweet Freedom is one of Ellen Degeneres’s recommended cookbooks? :-D
  • Have you joined Dr. Rodney Ford’s new Facebook group,  “Gluten Free Planet” yet?  Come on, join the movement with me! ;-)
  • Lastly, I am so unbelievably excited for a “mom’s weekend off” field trip that I am about to go on this Friday.  I will be heading to Seattle to attend the International Food Bloggers Conference!

International Food Bloggers Conference 2010

The best part for me is that many of my gluten-free blogging heroes will be there too, including a certain Gluten Free Girl and her Chef!!!  As if that weren’t enough, on Sunday, Shauna and Danny will be preparing a delicious gluten-free meal for all the GF bloggers that are attending!!!!!  I mean really, is that an opportunity of a lifetime or what?! :-D

Want to know who else is going to be there?

Shirley from Gluten Free Easily

Jeanne from Four Chickens

Kim from Cook It Allergy Free

Diane from The W.H.O.L.E. Gang

Carrie from Ginger Lemon Girl

Carol from Simply Gluten Free

Dr. Jean Layton from Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes

Wendy from Celiacs in the House

Melissa from Gluten Free For Good

Alexa from Lexie’s Kitchen

Karen from Cook4Seasons

Ali from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen

Now, if only I can keep myself from being a total groupie…I better pack some paper bags in case I hyperventilate when I meet these phenomenal women (they are pretty much the equivalent of rock stars to me).

I will do a blog post giving you all the fun details and photos as soon as I return; but while I’m there, I will be sharing frequent updates on my Facebook page and on Twitter, so you will have to “Like” me and/or “Follow” me if you want to find out sooner if I make an *$$ out of myself! :-D

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  • dairy free dips for vegetables (14)
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19 Comments
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  • http://www.peaceloveandmuesli.com Kristin @ Peace, Lov

    Have a great trip! I'm betting the non gluten-free bloggers will want to get into Shauna and Danny's meal.

    I'm with on the fishy cracker hate. They are not a snack they are garbage. In Canada we don't have the multi-colour ones, at least.

    • http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com Adventuresgfmom

      Kristin, I bet you're right!

      As for the fishy crackers… the packaged version definitely doesn't fit into the healthy category, especially with the added chemicals! I make a gluten-free version of them using a recipe by Roben Ryberg: http://www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/2009/08… although I have recently switched to her rice flour version and I think they are even better than the cornstarch recipe I shared. I am going to ask her if I can share the rice flour recipe (I didn't ask the first time I posted one of her cheese cracker recipes and I have felt horrible about ever since!) because I also tweaked it a tad bit.

      You are lucky they don't have the multicolored fish, all those dyes are scary when you learn about them. I have learned so much since we decided to challenge ourselves and spend 3 months synthetic dye-free. I used to think I reserved the cool colorings for special occasions like birthday cakes, but I never paid attention to everything those dyes are in, it's mind boggling really!

      I really do believe (at least with my kids), that all the chemical dyes in foods have had a negative impact on children with regards to eating fruits and vegetables. They are over-stimulated with the artificial colorings, that a plain yellow banana or white cauliflower looks too "boring" (which is why all the funky varieties of fruits and veggies at farmer's markets have tickled my kiddos).

      What is Canada's policy/law with the use of synthetic dyes in food?

  • Cindy

    Hi Heidi,

    I'm a preschool teacher so I use a lot of glue. I have found gallon size Elmer's at Office Depot. There also is a school catalog – ECMD Discount Supply – that has really good prices on glue, paint, etc.

    If you find a source for cheap rice flour, could you let me know. I have been continuing to use regular flour for our playdoh but I'm constantly having to pick it up from the floor – and then wash my hands – which gets really old.

    Have fun at your conference.

    Cindy

    • http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com Adventuresgfmom

      Hi Cinde!

      I broke down and finally went to my local Asian store for rice flour, and boy is it CHEAP! A 4-lb. bag was about $3.00!

      I know a lot of gluten-free folks buy their rice flour for cooking/baking at Asian markets, but I have always worried about cross contamination, etc., (since I assume the flours aren't tested for the presence of gluten). I have enough gluten-related chronic diseases already and since I don't experience obvious symptoms when I ingest gluten, I err on the side of caution and use tested flours for eating.

      With the whole class using the play dough though, I would need to quit blogging and get a real job to fund all the safe art supplies, LOL!

      I really recommend trying the recipe I shared for play dough, it is awesome! When I gave Luke's teacher (who makes her own play dough too), she loved the texture of it. It is a lot smoother than play doughs made with cream of tartar, you don't get that dry feeling on your hands after playing with it. The recipe I use calls for Alum Powder (instead of cream of tartar), and you can buy it in bulk online to save money. :-D

      Thanks for the tip on Elmer's glue, after going to 5 stores, I finally found it at Staples.

  • http://www.candyheartsblog.com/ Wendy

    WOW!!!!!!!!! BRING ON THE AWESOMENESS!!!!!

    I don't know why, but I'm craving some veggies at the moment…

    • http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com Adventuresgfmom

      Wendy, I could eat veggies all day with this dip! I should see how Brussels sprouts hold up… (NOT currently a fan of sprouts, but trying to become one!).

      I forgot to mention another thing I do with the seasoned salt recipe I linked to: the cool thing about making your own, is that you can tweak the recipe to fit your needs/lifestyle. I replace the salt called for in the recipe for either low-sodium salt or Celtic sea salt (for the added trace minerals). This was how I kicked my salt addiction (and reduced my sodium intake), one tweak at a time! :-D

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  • http://www.trulypat.wordpress.com Pat

    Sometimes cooking for non-celiac family members and friends seems daunting to me, but the challenge of supplying gluten-free play dough…AND GF glue, AND GF oats…for a whole room full of preschoolers is beyond me! What an amazing mom you are!

    • http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com Adventuresgfmom

      Thanks Pat! Luke has a really great teacher who was more than willing to help me come up with alternative solutions. I had only planned on providing Luke's own safe art supplies, but when she suggested that we just completely eliminate the risk, I jumped on it! It turned out to be a really cool awareness/teaching moment too, and I found out the teaching assistant has gluten sensitivity and then the owner of the school joined the conversation and said her sister is gluten-free. It had never occurred to them that wheat is used in a lot of art supplies and that the risk of cross contamination is really high. Even if children wash their hands, you need to be sure and clean under their fingernails, etc., which can be a big time consuming headache!

      Who knows, maybe they'll switch to Elmer's glue next year! ;-)

  • http://www.cookitallergyfree.com/blog Kim – Cook It Allerg

    Love this recipe! My kids will devour this dip up! Will make it next week when I am back. I am secretly a little afraid of what Kurt will be packing for lunches while I am gone! ;) Maybe I should whip some of this up BEFORE I leave.,,,

    Thank you so much, by the way, for sharing Ricki's Giveaway! I really appreciate it! And I cannot believe I will be seeing you again in 24 hours! WhooHOoo!

    IFBC!

    • http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com Adventuresgfmom

      I know, how exciting this weekend going to be! I'm so excited, I cant think straight and I haven't even packed yet, OYE! :-D

  • http://mrsedsresearchandrecipes.blogspot.com Tracee

    Your dip sounds great. As for school supplies, ugh, I know. I have been able to mail order gluten-free playdough from Discount School Supply. They also have a lot of neat educational toys too.

  • http://www.sheletthemeatcake.com Maggie

    Dip is the hardest thing for me to ignore now that I'm virtually dairy-free. It takes ALL of my willpower to skip it so I love seeing new dip recipes. I think there is a tofutti sour cream on the market here in Canada (eh).

    So I'm not even going to mention IFBC because I sooooo wish I was on your list :( I will just say this – take lots of pics! xo

  • http://nycshare.blogspot.com/ City Share

    It's amazing how many things have gluten in them! I would never thought of glue! That dip sounds delicious. We receive a farm share each week and I'm always looking for new way to eat them all up. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    • http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com Adventuresgfmom

      You're welcome, thanks for stopping by!

      It is mind boggling of all the places that gluten hides, and even more frustrating when there isn't an ingredient list (art supplies)! It certainly keeps me on my toes!

      We do the CSA too, and dips and hummus are great ways to entice <del datetime="2010-09-03T04:30:40+00:00">people</del> my kids to eat more veggies! ;-)

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