Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip

[If you love Thai spices, you’ll adore this dip. Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip is sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet.]

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Stylist:Margaret Monroe Dickey

Although I love to travel, I tend not to do it so much. The HH and I do love a little junket, mind you, but haven’t really taken one of those epic “across-Europe” or “to Bali and back” or “let’s-explore-the-fjords-of-Iceland” kind of trips. (Our one big adventure happened way back when we were first together, when we spent 10 glorious days in Newfoundland, strolling through untouched forests, staying and rustic B&Bs, spotting moose wandering off the highways, or whale-watching on the ocean**).

These days, we’re more likely to take a few days here, a few days there, and chillax at a resort up north by the pool. It’s all good.

But back in the days BHH (“before the HH”), I did venture on a major trip by myself to England, to visit my dear friend Sterlin.

At that time, Sterlin had just  wrapped up one job and was staying at home for the interim before the next job began. We timed my visit to coincide with her free days. It was epic!

Besides being eternally besotted by the English accent (or, more correctly, accentS, since every 2 blocks or so, it seemed to change), I was, of course, dumbstruck by the history, the regal architecture, the small-yet-intimate feel to the towns, the culture that permeated every nook and cranny (and there were quite a few crannies, as I recall).

In my short 10 days in the country, we managed to visit London (three times), Stratford, Nottingham, Cambridge, Oxford, and a slew of other smaller spots that escape me now. I loved the historic architecture of the cities, the museums that seemed to be on every corner, pristine fields and hills out in the rural countryside, and the ingrained history in every cobblestone.

I learned about university students’ secret codes, “public” vs private schools, the true history of Robin Hood, and how taxi drivers had over 2 years of school just to memorize the labrynthine streets of the city. Everyone I met from the clerk in the grocery store to the neighbor walking her dog to Sterlin’s work colleagues all seemed possess a magical air of elegance and gravity about them, simply by virtue of having been born in that country.

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, Sterlin was not known for her culinary prowess. Nevertheless, she determined that she’d prepare a homecooked meal for meal at least once during my stay (as it turned out, she managed that feat twice in the ten days!).  Along with Date Pasta, another of her newfound staples was a Green Curry stew, made with chicken (still on regular rotation on my plate in those days) and a slew of vegetables enrobed in a rich, glossy coconut milk base and spiced with fragrant Thai green curry paste.

I was hooked immediately, demanded the recipe, and promptly made the dish as soon as I got back to North America. I’ve been a fan of all things Thai ever since.

My version of the dip. The HH and I devoured this in short order!

This Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip from Brandi Doming’s new cookbook, The Vegan 8: 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less may not be a stew, but just like a classic Thai recipe, its marriage of sweet, salty and spicy–with the tiniest hint of sour from the lemon and bitter from the almond butter–it will win you over with the first taste.

Both the HH and I LOVED this dip. Like, loved-so-much-I-wanted-to-kiss-it. Or loved-so-much-I-didn’t-bother-with-crackers-and-just-ate-it-off-a-spoon. And also, loved-so-much-I-would-adopt-it-if-I-could. Yeah. Loved-so-much-that-Chaser-got-jealous. THAT much. The HH said, “You really should make this again. This is delicious. Definitely make this again. . . ” all the while stuffing his face with dip-coated nacho chips.

Anyone who follows plant-based bloggers is likely already familiar with Brandi and her signature “8 ingredients or less” oil-free recipes.  I was excited to see that many of the recipes were also gluten-free and free of refined sugars, too, so they would be suitable for a diet like mine.

Along with stunning photos and recipes, the book also provides a full chapter on “The Vegan 8 Kitchen,” (with everything from “Getting Started” to baking tips, Brandi’s pantry staples, seasonings, sweeteners, nut butters and other natural fats, flours, starches and other kitchen equipment), plus individual chapters on “Breakfast,” “Scrumptious Snacks & Appetizers,” “Time-Crunch Lunches,” “Sauces and Dressings,” “Easy Entrees,” “Comforting Soups & Stews,” “Sides & Dips,” “Crowd-Pleasing Desserts,” and “Staples” (like    spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, spice blends or homemade nut milks). There’s also a full chart of Imperial-to-metric equivalents.

Some of the recipes I can’t wait to try include Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins, Spice-is-Nice Baked Oatmeal Squares, Sunflower-Cinnamon Chia Balls, Creamy Lemon and Garlic White Bean Crostini, 20-Minute Alfredo, Mexican Tahini Chickpeas, BBQ Chipotle Green Lentils with Potato Wedges, “My Favorite” Savory Meatless Bean Balls, Teriyaki Patties, Ultimate Broccoli-Cheese Soup, Hungarian Red Lentil Soup, Sweet Potato Cornbread and No-Bake Chocolate Espresso Fudge Cake–plus about 50 more!

Brandi and her publisher graciously allowed me to share the Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip here. Do give this one a try–it’s truly tantalizing and keeps nicely in the fridge. Just be warned: this dip likely won’t last very long.

Disclosure: Links in this post may be affiliate links. If you choose to purchase using those links, at no cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.

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