Why don’t you just bring an appetizer? Maybe a dip and some veggies? Sure, you think, wondering why you were left with the boring alternative. I can bring the 1950’s veggie platter. But it is true, people crave the green crunchy alternative to the creamy, oily, cheesy, bread-crusted delights we hide under the diminutive term ‘appetizers.’ I spent a whole weekend eating holiday meals; and thanks to the innovative, seductive, often large and beyond-a-bite appetizers, I was consistently full by the time dinner arrived.

BUT if you are going to eat and eat, it is good to insert some of these under-appreciated vegetables. And the good news is, once you find a great vegetable dip, you have conveniently expanded your lunch-making arsenal for the rest of the year. Ranch and carrots don’t always cut it. Sometimes, adding in sliced cucumbers, red peppers, cauliflower, snap peas and cherry tomatoes—with a fancy dip—are just what you need. So, holiday or otherwise, here are three options:

I often make Sundried Tomato Dip (from Barefoot Contessa). The Weekly Dish provided a Feta twist on the Sundried Dip, and I recently found this curry dip from Epicurious. All the reviews [for the curry dip] are thumbs up, with a recommendation to make it one day in advance, so the flavors have a chance to wrangle. Oh, and upon making these dips, I did some tweaking. My recipe twists are below, but for the original recipes, just click on the respective source.

From The Weekly Dish

Sundried Tomato and Feta Dip
1 5-ounce jar of sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained
2-3 ounces feta cheese
1 cup sour cream
3 green onions, white and green parts, sliced
Sea salt, to taste
A pinch or two of cayenne pepper

Place all in blender; blend.

From Barefoot Contessa:

Sundried Tomato Dip
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (8 tomatoes)
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
10 dashes, hot red pepper sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

Puree the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, red pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the scallions and pulse twice. Serve at room temperature.

From Epicurious (and Gourmet magazine, 2002):

Curried Vegetable Dip
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 scallion, trimmed and finely chopped

Garnish: scallion greens, sliced diagonally

Place all in blender; blend.