I, veggie, take thee, peanut ...

Many folks find eating vegetables to be a grind. Too yucky, too bland, too boring.
The list goes on.

If this sounds like you — or your kids — you're in luck. Here's a recipe for a lip-
smacking peanut dip, a simple way to make raw veggies much more appealing.

But first, some backstory:

Last spring, as some of us women ultimate (frisbee) players geared up for a party,
there was a buzz in the air.

But the buzz wasn't about how thrilled we were over Tempest, the new team we were
starting. Wasn't about how we'd be the first ever women's touring club coming out of
this province. Wasn't even about ultimate. None of that.

Instead, this buzz had everything to do with Claire's spicy peanut dip. Let me tell
you, there were numerous requests — and more than one individual living in rabid
hope — that Claire would bring some to the party.

Needless to say, I was curious.

And I was not disappointed. Her dip was a hit.

Claire kindly granted permission for me to blab about her dip right here. I don't
recall seeing other dishes quite like this one, but all she could (or would?) tell me was
that she learned the recipe from her mother.

Claire's spicy peanut dip

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup peanut butter (natural, without added sugar, etc.)
• ½ cup water
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
• 2 tsp lime juice (fresh, if possible)
• ½ tsp crushed red chili peppers
• 1 clove garlic (pressed or finely chopped)

A suggestion: "Crunchy" peanut butter adds great texture.

Directions:

1. Place ingredients in saucepan over medium heat
2. Mix (with whisk) for approx 5 min.

Now I'm no Claire, but I put together a batch for my wine club, which I
hosted last nite. I even dared to make one adjustment to the recipe — instead of
soy sauce, I went with tamari (as indicated above), since it's more flavorful and
tends to contain fewer artificial ingredients.

And I'm pleased to report that the dip was a hit at my house, too.