For a low-calorie, high-visual Valentine’s Day plate, how about pink crudités?
Specialty produce purveyor Sid Wainer created this beauty with:
Breakfast radishes and conventional radishes
Chioggia beets (photo #2)
Purple potatoes (cooked)
Red/purple endive (photo #4)
Red jacket potatoes (cooked)
Red onion (pickled garnish for dip)
Watermelon radishes (photo #4)
You can also add: purple cauliflower florets, red cabbage, red bell pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, radicchio (a cousin of red endive), and even some purple or red grapes.
For a pink dip, consider classic Russian Dressing or Thousand Island Dressing, or this spicy pink dip recipe:
RECIPE #1: SPICY PINK DRESSING OR DIP
Ingredients
2 cups mayonnaise (full fat)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sherry wine (not cooking sherry)
1 tablespoon dried tarragon, finely crushed or 1-1/2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce sauce, or to taste
2-3 drops red food coloring or beet juice
Preparation
1. MIX mayonnaise, sour cream, sherry, tarragon, garlic powder and hot sauce until well blended.
2. ADD a few drops of food coloring to desired shade of pink. If the dressing is too thick, you can thin it with a small amount of milk. Chill well before serving.
Recipe courtesy Food.com.
RECIPE #2: SPICY RUSSIAN DRESSING
Some people make an easy Russian Dressing by combining equal parts of chili sauce (or ketchup) and mayonnaise.
For Thousand Island Dressing, they add pickle relish.
Here’s a Russian Dressing recipe is on the spicier side, thanks to a bit of horseradish and hot sauce.
It can be made up to two weeks ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.
Ingredients For 1-1/4 Cups
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Heinz chili sauce or ketchup
4 teaspoons bottled white horseradish, or to taste
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
Salt
Preparation
1. WHISK the ingredients, except salt, together. Chill.
2. TASTE and season with salt, as desired.
RECIPE #3: THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING
Ingredients For 1-1/4 Cups
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Heinz chili sauce or ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, drained
Preparation
1. WHISK the ingredients together and chill to allow flavors to meld.
2. TASTE and season with salt, as desired.
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[1] Think pink and make a beautiful plate of crudites (photo © Sid Wainer & Son).
[2] Chioggia beets (pronounced kee-OH-juh), also known as bullseye beets, candy cane beets and candy stripe beets.Here’s more about them (photo © Good Eggs).
[3] Red (or purple) Belgian endive (photo © Melissa’s Produce).
[4] Watermelon radishes. Depending on the variety, the interior can be various shades and densities of pink or red—or even green (photo © Good Eggs).
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