Garlic Herb Spread

Photo: flickr user anemoneprojectors

Ingredients

1 head garlic

4 sun-dried tomatoes not packed in oil

1 cup nonfat yogurt cheese (strained yogurt)

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon sea salt freshly ground

loaf of Italian bread sliced, optional

Preparation

Wrap the garlic head in aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 375F oven for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and press the baked garlic until all the flesh squeezes out. You should have 1 heaping tablespoon of puree.

Bring the sun-dried tomatoes to a boil in a small amount of water. Let sit for 15 minutes, then drain on paper towels. Chop finely when dried.

Combine all the ingredients except the bread with a wire whisk. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes.

If using the bread, lightly toast the slices on a baking sheet at 325F for 15 minutes.

NOTES : Serve with the toasted slices. Also makes a tasty vegetable dip, sandwich spread, or dressing for baked potatoes.

This sounds wonderful! Note that Graham Kerr uses a small amount of maple syrup to reduce the tartness of the yogurt. He prefers maple syrup to honey or sugar in savory dishes, because he thinks they make the yogurt cloying sweet.

I haven't made this particular recipe, but I have made other yogurt cheese spreads from him (that I previously posted here), which also use the maple syrup. It really does not add a sweet taste.