Nature’s Antibiotic Dip

by Noor H. Salem

If you’re a fan of the Mediterranean cuisine, you’re probably accustomed to being served a mouthwatering garlic dip alongside hot fresh pita bread at restaurants.

Although all restaurants unquestionably use raw garlic in their dip, the star of the show, many also use other ingredients you’re better off not consuming. Some restaurants use raw eggs, which is a concern for pregnant women. Additionally, the majority of restaurants use soybean oil, vegetable oil, or corn oil to fluff up this delicious dip. Other possible additives can include citric acid or monosodium glutamate, both linked to negative side effects on your health.

Many restaurants use potatoes to fluff up the dip and to make the extremely strong taste of raw garlic subtler. While potatoes do carry health benefits, using cauliflower in our dip gives a different texture, while taking the nutritional value to another level. For the reasons mentioned, it’s highly recommended that you make this dip at home, or meticulously ask your restaurant what’s in the dip they serve.

Garlic is one of the astonishing foods I cover extensively in my book, Sunnah Superfoods. It is a delicious herb that simply enhances the flavor of just about any dish it is put in, although many avoid it for its bad-breath aftermath. Nonetheless, garlic comes with a much bigger package than just adding decent taste to your food.

Benefits of garlic include but are not limited to preventing and reversing hair loss, reducing blood pressure, killing bacteria, combating against cancer cells, preventing the common cold, and reducing overall bodily stress and anxiety. Frankly, once you are informed about how adding garlic to your diet may tremendously improve your physical and mental health, it would undoubtedly be worth a meek consequence of provisional bad breath.

Garlic, along with onions, leeks, chives, and shallots, is a part of the allium family of vegetables. Remarkably, it has been dated to have been used more than 7,000 years ago and has been recognized for its many holistic medicinal properties.

It is known as a recovery for the body’s health entirely in Chinese medicine. Garlic has been noted to have been used in diverse regions of the world and is, in fact, a staple food in many countries. Garlic can be consumed raw, cooked, dried, and ground into a spice. It has an incredibly strong flavor and aroma that can be detected from far, and the health benefits are not of any less notable. Since the garlic in this dip is raw, you’d be benefiting from it much more than in dried or ground form.

Try this delectable dip aside your favorite grilled lamb, chicken, or seafood; you’ll be strengthening up your immune system, preventing various health conditions from developing, and, reducing stress, all while still taking in how incredible this dip tastes!

Ingredients:

• 2 heads garlic, raw
• 3 onions
• 2 cups cauliflower florets, washed
• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground rosemary
• ½ teaspoon dried dill
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• ¼ cup parsley or cilantro, freshly chopped (garnish)

Directions:

1. Steam the cauliflower for about 10-15 minutes, or until tender.
2. In a food processor, pulse all the ingredients, including cauliflower, until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides and pulse again.
3. Pour into serving plates. Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garnish with fresh parsley; serve aside steamed vegetables, grilled salmon, or your favorite grilled barbeque.

Noor H. Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, SUNNAH SUPERFOODS, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.