I always forget to eat radishes. It’s not that I don’t like them, I just never think about them. I don’t have any childhood memories of radishes. I don’t have any radish recipes I’m dying to try. Sometimes I see radishes offered on a relish tray and I’ll have one, and then just forget to have another.

A few weeks ago, radishes showed up in my CSA share. I stuck them in my crisper to die. And they would have, except that my CSA sent an email newsletter later the same day that included a recipe for a Radish and Cream Cheese Dip by Carb Manager. It sounded pretty good, and the CSA farmers gave some pretty strong personal testimonials, and I hate to waste food, so I made it, and we all loved it.

A few weeks later, radishes showed up in my CSA share again, and I realized I’d forgotten all about them. Again. It had never occurred to me to go shopping for more to make more of that wonderful dip. But since they were right there, and since the CSA farmers included the same recipe in their newsletter again (they may not have a lot of ideas for radishes either), I decided to make it again.

This time, I made a few adaptations. These were simply for logistical reasons, to avoid wasting food and to avoid going to the store. Instead of using only part of an 8oz block of cream cheese and putting the rest back in the refrigerator to be forgotten, I used the full block. Instead of chives, which I didn’t have, I used green onions, which I did. I used more lemon and more garlic to use up some extra I had on hand, and because nobody in our house has ever complained about too much lemon or too much garlic. And the result was great. We eat it on bagels. We eat it on crackers. I love it, my husband loves it, and my teenage daughter loves it. I will definitely make it again. (If I remember.)

Lemon, Cream Cheese and Radish Spread

Ingredients

4 oz radishes, roughly chopped
8 oz cream cheese
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
3 green onions, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

• Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Run until the spread is somewhat smooth, and the ingredients are combined, approximately 30 seconds, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Enjoy!