As I sit on my back porch on the sun and write this post, I’m just thrilled that Spring has finally arrived! Winter in Toronto is just as crappy as you can imagine, and everyone tends to hibernate until the sun comes out in April. You can always tell who’s Canadian – we’re the ones wearing shorts when it’s 50 degrees out. As soon as there’s any hint of warmth in the weather, we’re all over it!!

As patio season is starting, so are the outdoor get-togethers. I’ve developed this delicious, super easy and quick feta dip as the perfect app to eat with crackers and vegetables. I stuffed Medjool dates with it and drizzled them with honey, which was amazing. You can also use it as a spread; it would be incredible on burgers and sandwiches too!

Feta Dip 2

feta dip 4
Medjool dates stuffed and drizzled with honey!

I was going for a fluffy texture with this dip, so I used my Vitamix. If you don’t have a high-speed blender or food processor, you can use a hand beater – but you may have to beat it long enough for the cheese to heat up and blend so that the lumps disappear. Whatever you use, you’ll have a rougher texture just because that’s the nature of the cheese; it’s more about beating air into the mixture and making sure the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Just a note – the feta is already pretty salty, so I don’t recommend any additional salt in the recipe.

You want the dip to be soft, so I recommend serving it at room temperature or even heating it up slightly so that it’s easy to dip stuff into.

Garnish the dip with z’atar, pine nuts, harissa, pomegranate, chives, dates, or anything else you’d like!

Feta Dip 1

Feta Dip 3
Whipped feta dip garnished, from left, with chopped dates, fresh chives, and harissa powder

 

Whipped Feta Dip
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
  • 400 g feta
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • 2-3 T olive oil
  • 1 clove large garlic peeled and crushed
Instructions
  1. In a high speed blender, crumbled the feta into small chunks. Add the remainder of the ingredients and process until smooth, scraping down the sides to ensure everything is evenly blended.
  2. Serve at room temperature, drizzled with olive oil and garnishes.