Wondering what to do with that giant zucchini growing in your new garden? Well, have I got something for you…

How about a dip?

Let’s first redefine the phrase “veggie dip.” What once described a dip you dipped veggies in is now the dip itself. Or I guess we could call it a veggie veggie dip. Or veggies with veggies. Or veggies². OK, I’ll stop now. Sorry, I just get really excited when I’m able to eat/serve this many veggies without anyone even realizing it. So sneaky.

Zucchini is standing in for chickpeas here. All of the other traditional hummus ingredients are the same; we’re just subbing in a vegetable for a bean. The zucchini makes for a much lighter dip too – nice and cooling for summer. And since zucchini has a lot of water in it already, it doesn’t need nearly as much liquid or oil to get that smooth, creamy consistency.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong in my book with your standard homemade chickpea hummus. But if you want to change it up, sneak some more vegetables into your routine, or tackle that monster zucchini that’s growing zucchini of its own in your backyard, here’s something for you to try…

Zucchini Hummus

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis, chopped (or one really big one)
1 clove garlic
½ cup tahini
1 lemon, squeezed
½ tsp salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a food processor, first pulse garlic to mince. Add zucchini, tahini, lemon juice and start to process. While the mixture blends in the processor, stream in olive oil through hole in the top, then add salt. Process until completely smooth. Taste for yourself and feel free to adjust to your liking with extra oil, salt or tahini.

Transfer to a bowl and dip to your hearts content with carrots, celery, cucumber, snap peas… or heck, even zucchini!

If you want to change it up, you can also add spices like cumin or paprika. Or to put a different spin on it, add roasted red peppers, fresh basil or Kalamata olives.