Recipe: Creamy Avocado Dip

Take three simple things — ripe avocado, soft goat cheese, and lemon juice — and whirl them together to create the creamiest, dreamiest dip you’ve ever imagined. It’s sweet and a bit green-tasting from the avocado and tangy from the cheese, both of which are balanced by the big squeeze of lemon. Serve it with tortilla or pita chips, crackers, or crudités and it will be gone before you blink.

Dips shouldn’t be complicated. In my book, if they have more than a handful of ingredients, they aren’t worth the energy — I’ll pick up a tub of hummus instead. This one meets the criteria. It’s nothing but avocado, goat cheese, and lemon juice blended together in the food processor or blender, but what comes out of the combination is something truly special.

It’s a dip that’s as creamy as they come, thanks to both the ripe avocado and soft cheese, but surprising in flavor — sweet, tangy, and interesting enough to keep you coming in for another dip or dunk. It feels as comfortable alongside a platter of raw veggies as it does next to a big bowl of chips. Any leftovers would be a worthy base for an avocado toast snack, too, or spread inside of a sandwich instead of mustard or mayo.