NOTE: I was given free products from D’vash Organics in exchange for a recipe post. All opinions and thoughts in this post/all related posts are my own, and were not influenced by the company and/or its affiliates.
Hello, hungry people! How is everyone holding up? I know that can be a loaded question these days…
During a time when the world is changing constantly, I’m finding self-care to be more important than ever. In the process, I’ve learned a lot about what self-care really is. Often, it involves things that actually aren’t fun in the moment: paying bills, doing things I’ve been procrastinating on, having uncomfortable conversations, and sitting with difficult thoughts. But that said, a lot of my self-care recently has been really fun: tennis as a new form of enjoyable movement, creating new content and projects for The Hungry Musician as a way to refocus my creative energy in the absence of performing work, cooking for my family, AND… *gasps for air*
This dip. Ohhhhhhh, this dip.
The day I first made this dip, I was reminded just how sweet self-care can be. Because if what your body wants is to sit down and have fresh pita chips and summer tomatoes dipped in light, creamy, fluffy feta sprinkled with pistachios and fresh herbs and drizzled with spicy date nectar for lunch?!?!?!?! That’s precisely what your body should receive, my friend. It’s like having a hot date (lol) with yourself.
I made my pita chips by brushing pitas with olive oil, sprinkling them with za’atar (of course), cutting them into wedges, and toasting the wedges in the oven at 325˚F for 10 minutes. I have a lot of time on my hands right now so I made the pita fresh (it still only took an hour!) but you could make your chips with storebought pitas, or even just leave it to Stacy. She does a good job.
Date syrup is INCREDIBLY versatile, and has been a staple in my kitchen for years. It’s a natural sweetener made purely out of dates that can be used in dressings, marinades, sauces, smoothies, and baked goods, or drizzled straight on top of literally anything to make anything literally better.
When D’vash Organics reached out to me and asked if I’d like to try their date syrups, I obviously said yes. And when the box came and it included CAYENNE DATE NECTAR? I just about fell over. You all know how much I love spicy things, but a spicy-sweet combo? I cannot resist. I love hot honey on everything, but date syrup is totally plant-based (vegan), and has 25% less sugar than honey, so… Looks like my hot honey has some competition now.
D’vash also stands out with lots of other really great perks – it’s organic, non-GMO, AND it’s made sustainably out of ugly dates, which mitigates food waste! We love it. Also, it’s delicious, but I feel like that goes without saying. I also predict I’m going to have a great time reusing the glass bottles they came in – homemade dressing using the last drops at the bottom of the bottle? Hello.
If you haven’t tried date syrup before, trust me when I say you need to get on it (and then make this dip) immediately. As a very special treat for you, D’vash has kindly given me a DISCOUNT CODE for you all to use on your order! Click here to shop, and enter the code HUNGRY30 at checkout to get a whole 30% off (!) of your order.
60 minutes before preparing, leave the feta out on the counter to come to room temperature. *OPTIONAL: Soak the feta in fresh water during this time and drain before using. This will help cut the saltiness.
In a food processor or strong blender, combine the feta, cream cheese, and lemon juice. Pulse until creamy. Gradually add the olive oil while pulsing.
When the consistency is even and light, transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the D’vash Cayenne Date Nectar, top with pistachios and herbs, and serve.
Notes
Use code HUNGRY30 for 30% off your order on www.dvashorganics.com.
If you don’t want to use cream cheese, you may substitute Greek yogurt/another thick yogurt at room temperature. The final result will have a thicker consistency.
