CREAMY LABNEH DIP WITH WALNUTS AND DILL

In a year dominated by disease (mine), death (our beloved dog Jasper), and dysfunction (use your imagination), there still was much for my family to be thankful for.  And so I managed to pull it together for Thanksgiving, although apparently no one is going to give a me a gold star for my efforts (my family did say thanks, though).

I got a new wreath to add to my collection of Thanksgiving turkeys:

A few days before Thanksgiving I went to a flower arranging workshop at a local nursery with a few business associates, which helped get me in the Thanksgiving mood:

This was my creation from the workshop:

Inspired by the workshop, I created a pumpkin centerpiece for the table, using coleus from my garden and other plant materials:

I made marbleized mini pumpkins for the table too, intended to coordinate with the colors of the centerpiece:

I knew that everyone was expecting the usual turkey and carb-laden side dishes, so I looked for a new appetizer to make.  Having seen how popular Easter and Halloween deviled eggs are, I thought that Thanksgiving deviled eggs might be something to try.  I looked around the interwebs, and found a bunch of turkey deviled eggs:

Nah.

What I came up with was a creamy labneh dip.  I am currently obsessed with labneh, this brand in particular, which can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores:

The dip is great with pita chips or even bagel chips.  I added it to a sort of mezze platter, and it went over well.  It’s really delicious and just different enough to be interesting.

CREAMY LABNEH DIP WITH WALNUTS AND DILL
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup labneh
  • ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon aleppo pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Pinch of salt
  • Optional garnish: drizzle of olive oil, dill, walnuts, aleppo pepper
  • Pita chips, for serving
Instructions
  1. Place labneh in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.l. Add dill, garlic, aleppo pepper, lemon juice, and salt, and stir to combine. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
  2. Garnish as desired with olive oil, dill, walnuts, and aleppo pepper.
  3. Serve with pita chips.

The only ‘tude appropriate at Thanksgiving is gratitude