Good for the brain and good for the heart, almonds are also a great way to regulate cholesterol. When I want something fluffy and creamy to dip my veggies or rice crackers in, this is a great option, and a bit more unusual than the standard hummus. For this recipe, I use a Vita-Mix, which has become an indispensable tool in my kitchen.

This recipe is my attempt to reproduce a soy-free version of an amazing condiment, The Original Bitchin Sauce, a vegan, gluten, dairy free offering from a local San Diego company. I developed this recipe to be soy-free, but feel free to add soy if you want to. If you don’t feel like making this on your own, I buy mine at Windmill Farms. I’m hoping it will soon be available at Whole Foods – it’s creamy and delicious and totally addicting.

A note on the almonds. Either roasted or raw can be used. It’s best to just play around with this recipe. Raw almonds give it a fluffier, grittier consistency which I really like, but roasted almonds are just as tasty and produce a somewhat smoother dip.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Yield: about a cup
Special equipment: Vita-Mix

2/3 c. raw or roasted, salted almonds (lightly salted if you can find them)
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. light or regular olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice

2  tsp. nutritional yeast  (I use Red Star Nutritional Yeast)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 large clove garlic sliced in quarters

*1 1/2 T gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce (omit for soy allergies)

*If you double this recipe, use only 2 T soy sauce.

1. Place all ingredients, except soy sauce, in the bowl of the Vita-Mix and blend on variable speed high for 30 seconds. If you do over mix it, just transfer to a bowl and mix a bit of water in to fluff it up. If you are adding soy, add it here, instead of the water. Don’t add the soy with the other ingredients – it flattens the dip out.
2. That’s it! Store in an air tight container in the fridge.