I’m always looking for more easy and tasty ways to serve nourishing foods to my family. Getting kids on board with eating healthy can take some strategic planning, but recipes like this radish cream cheese dip help make it easier. (And it’s not a bad way for adults to enjoy more veggies too!)
Having some kind of garden (even a small one) is something I highly recommend, and I am looking forward to the early radish varieties popping this spring. I’ll be keeping this recipe at the ready!
Healthy Cream Cheese Dip (Starring Radishes)
Radishes may not be at the top of many grocery lists, but this unassuming veggie deserves some credit. Radishes are packed with vitamin C and boast a long list of health benefits, such as purifying the urinary system, maintaining a healthy blood pressure, relieving congestion, and offering respiratory support. Radishes also have antibacterial and antifungal properties and can even help oxygenate the blood.
While radishes are incredibly healthy, kids especially might find this veggie a little spicy. By blending cottage cheese, radish, and cream cheese together, the healthy fats from the dairy tone down the zippy bite of the radishes.
Using a milder variety like a French breakfast radish can also help. Sow radishes in the early spring (once danger of frost has passed). If you’ve always wanted to start a garden, here’s how to get started!
Wait, is Dairy Healthy?
While dairy isn’t a dietary necessity (certainly not glassfuls of pasteurized milk for kids), it does offer some health benefits. Raw, grass-fed, and cultured dairy products offer nourishing fats, calcium, and vitamin K2 for a healthy gut and body.
Our family had given up cottage cheese because of all the nasty additives until I discovered the Good Culture brand (check a grocery store near you). I love that it’s full of protein and cultured dairy without the stabilizers, thickeners, and added flavorings of other brands.
Making Radish Cream Cheese Dip With Kids
I’ve found that the more creative I get with how we eat vegetables, the more my kids are apt to eat them. Getting kids in the kitchen (and safely using knives!) helps them to want to eat their creation. (Same with having a garden: they want to eat what they grow!)
Here are a few fun ways to serve veggies for more variety:
- Slice celery into finger width pieces and make “celery smiles”
- Cut the veggies into cubes and arrange on a skewer for veggie kabobs. Softer ones, like cucumber, celery, avocado, and tomatoes are easier to get on a skewer.
- Let them arrange sliced vegetables and veggie sticks into their own piece of art. Create a picture, make a scene, and then eat it!
Radish Cream Cheese Dip Recipe
Prep
Total
Yield 3 cups
This smooth and creamy dip is bursting with fresh flavor from the herbs and a hint of heat from the radishes.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of radishes
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 5 fresh basil leaves
- a handful of fresh parsley
Instructions
- Wash the radishes well and cut off the tops and bottoms.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Serve with veggies for dipping.
Notes
Mix up the herbs! This recipe calls for basil and parsley, but it’s pretty forgiving when it comes to the herb choices. I’ll add different savory herbs depending on what’s growing in the garden at the time. Mix it up with some chives, summer savory, dill, or other herbs of choice.
Courses Snack
Cuisine None
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 87 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 7 g | 11% | |
Saturated Fat 4.4 g | 22% | |
Cholesterol 22 mg | 7% | |
Sodium 141 mg | 6% | |
Total Carbohydrates 2 g | 1% | |
Dietary Fiber 0.4 g | 2% | |
Sugars 0.5 g | ||
Protein 4.2 g | 8% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
What are some ways you get more veggies into the diet? Do you have a favorite dip you like to use?
Reader Comments