Cashew Cucumber Dip

From Veganomicon 10th Anniversary Edition by Moskowitz and Romero   2017

My sister-in-law loved the initial version of this book, published 10 years ago.  So when I noticed this on the new book shelf at the library, I pulled it out.  The beautiful photos, and the interesting but not too complicated / not too many ingredient recipes drew me in.

This recipe is different from most other dips, in that it is creamy, but without any dairy products.  The cashews and cucumbers, softened and diluted with a minimal amount of oil and some fresh lemon juice did the trick.  The dip was perfect with veggies, soft tortilla or skinny pretzels.  The recipe called for processing everything but 1/2 of the cucumber, then adding in that 1/2 at the end, as well as a 1/4 cup of chopped dill.  The dip tasted so good and rich though, that I opted to leave out the rest of the cucumber and most of the dill.  I didn't want to dilute that rich, lemon/garlic taste.  See what you think!

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
1 pound seedless cucumbers, such as hothouse or English cucumbers (use 1/2 of one English)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
2 large cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
A few twists of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh dill (optional)
A few kalamata olives, for garnish

Directions:
1) Plan the cashews in a small bowl, cover with 2" of warm water and soak for ~20 minutes.  Drain ad discard the water.
2)Meanwhile, peel the cucumber and grate on the large hole side of a box grater.  Put the grated cucumber in a colander over a plate.  Squeeze water out and save to add to the dip.
3) In a food processor, pulse the drained cashews, lemon juice, half the squeezed grated cucumber and the garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Blend until creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl down frequently.  Add 1-3 tablespoons of reserved cucumber juice to the sauce to thin it out slightly.
4) put in a bowl - so here's where I think it's perfect as  is.  However, you are supposed to add in the rest of the cucumber and 1/4 cup of dill and mix it through.  Cover and chill.  If serving as a dip, swirl into a shallow serving bowl, top with a drizzle of quality olive oil and garnish a few olives in the center.  Serve immediately with warm pita (or anything else listed above).