This Fresh and Easy as 1-2-3 Garden Veggie Bar Cheese is packed with red peppers, carrots, onions, garlic and radishes. Pepper jack cheese and a hint of Cajun spice give this dip just the right amount of kick. Grab your favorite crackers and dig into your new favorite!
Jump to RecipeOli would love this Fresh and Easy as 1-2-3 Garden Veggie Bar Cheese
If you were one of the binge-watching fans of, Only Murders in the Building Season 1, you know that the character of Oliver, played by Martin Short lived on a steady diet of dips and dunkables. The dips came from a chain of restaurants owned by one of the suspects in a murder that took place within the Upper West Side, NYC apartment building in which he lives.
With Hulu set to release the first two episodes of Season 2 on June 28th, 2022, I thought it would be fun to drop a dip recipe or two in honor of this fun and witty show. I think this recipe for Fresh and Easy as 1-2-3 Garden Veggie Bar Cheese would have made it into Oli’s rotation.
Sweet red peppers, carrots, onions, garlic and radishes are abundant throughout this dip. Pepper Jack cheese and a hint of Cajun spice deliver just the right amount of kick. Think of this cheese spread recipe as a fresher, updated version of the pimento bar cheese your grandparents may have enjoyed. If you’re looking for something to gnosh on while you do a little binge watching, grab your favorite crackers and start dipping! I find a good whole wheat cracker or a simply salted pita chip pairs best with this spread.
Fast, easy and delicious dip recipes you can make at home
A while back I started making my own salad dressings and dips. I like the fact that I can both control and pronounce the ingredients. One of our family favorites is my recipe for Super Simple 5 Minute Avocado Buttermilk Dressing. It doubles as a great topping for tacos or healthy Latin-inspired power bowls. It’s also great for straight up dipping your favorite tortilla chips.
When it comes to potato chips; however, I have a favorite, store-bought, onion chip dip. It’s the standard that I judge all other chip dips against. It’s delicious. It’s also packed with MSG and other ingredients I can’t pronounce, which is probably why I can’t stop eating it once the lid has been cracked open.
Since I’m continually working toward getting away from ingredients I would need an advanced degree in chemistry and a sterile lab to replicate, this has left me a little sad. A little frustrated. And frankly, a little motivated to come up with my own onion chip dip recipe. Honestly, I don’t know why it took me so long, but I’m always happy to share my recipe for Super Simple 15 Minute Onion Dip with anyone who asks for a copy. I think you’ll find it to be a satisfying keeper.
However, in this recipe for Fresh and Easy as 1-2-3 Garden Veggie Bar Cheese, sweet red peppers, carrots, onions, garlic and radishes are abundant throughout this spread. A hint of Cajun spice and pepper jack cheese deliver a little heat, while a touch of fresh lemon juice gives this dip a bright lift. A touch of salt and pepper is added at the end, but just a touch. You don’t need a lot of salt because the crackers will have sufficient salt of their own. Balance is the key to seasoning this Fast and Easy as 1-2-3 Garden Veggie Bar Cheese.
Do I really need to let it chill before eating?
One of the things I adore about cooking and baking is that patience is always rewarded. A dish can taste good right after mixing or coming out of the oven, but something magical happens when you give it time to rest.
If you’re a bread maker, you know that giving the yeast time to develop delivers more flavorful bread. Soups and stews benefit from a stock base that has been allowed to simmer and reduce for hours on end. When using dry spices, you need to give them time to release their full flavors or coax them along through other cooking methods like blooming.
I hate to be that person, but yes, it’s best if you wait and here’s why. The consistency of this bar cheese will thicken slightly as the mayonnaise, sour cream and cheese chill down and come together. The sharpness of the spices and pepper jack cheese will mellow and the natural sweetness of the red peppers will start to come through. This cheese spread needs a minimum of two hours for the flavors to marry – but overnight is best. If you really want to have some fun, whip up a batch of this bar cheese the night before. The next day, whip up a second batch and compare the two. See how much more developed the flavor of the first batch is – the one that was allowed to rest overnight as compared to the fresh batch. At least, that’s what this self-proclaimed food nerd likes to do.
Fresh and Easy as 1-2-3 Garden Veggie Bar Cheese
Course: StartersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy2
cups15
minutes2
hoursIngredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
2 Tbsp. green onions, cleaned, trimmed and sliced thin
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced or 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 medium radish, shredded and with the water pressed out (approximately 1 Tbsp)
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. Cajun Seasoning (I prefer Slap Ya Mama brand Original Cajun Seasoning)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley, Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. Stir until completely blended.
- Add the shredded cheese to the mixture and combine thoroughly.
- Add the minced bell peppers, green onions and carrots next. Before adding the shredded radishes, wrap them in a paper towel and press out any excess water. The radishes contain a lot of water and this step will prevent your cheese spread from becoming runny. Stir to incorporate the fresh ingredients into the cheese spread.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste – approximately a pinch or two of each.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and allow to chill for at least two hours before serving. For best taste, allow to chill overnight before serving.
Notes
- The recipe calls for mayonnaise. Can I use salad dressing instead? How can I say this delicately……no. Sorry, but there’s not alternative here. I like both Miracle Whip and Mayonnaise. They both have a place in my refrigerator, but the two are not interchangeable in this recipe. You really need the rich, creaminess of the mayonnaise to balance the veggies, cheese and spices in this dip.
