Sun-Dried Tomato, Coriander and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

A few days ago I talked about the good qualities of olive oil. Today's recipe is a delicious dip, which can ALSO be used as a sandwich spread on a hoagie or to top a juicy grilled burger. Once you assemble your ingredients, this takes less than 15 minutes to make. This recipe utilizes olive oil, and has the healthy qualities of red peppers, cumin, coriander and jalapenos. It has the healthy olive oil but low fat cream cheese , and well, I could just eat this with a spoon! I am also excited to make this recipe this summer, because I am growing my own coriander (cilantro). The dip does have a bit of a kick to it, but I always get compliments when it is served!
Sun-Dried Tomato, Coriander, and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Ingredients

2 7 oz jars roasted red peppers, drained

3 oz sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped fine

1-1/2 tsp ground cumin

1-2 bottled pickled jalapeno chilies, seeded and minced (use gloves)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

1/4 cup chopped scallion

4 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese (Neufchatel cheese), cut into bits and softened

Tortilla chips as an accompaniment
Instructions

In a food processor puree the red peppers, the tomatoes, the garlic, the cumin, the jalapenos, the lemon juice, the coriander, and the scallion until the mixture is smooth, add the cream cheese and salt to taste, and puree the mixture, adding a little more olive oil to thin the dip to the desired consistency and scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally, until it is smooth. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve it with the tortilla chips.

Yield: about 2-1/3 cups.