Feta-Radish Spread & Perseverance

It’s dark outside. It’s late here. Kind of. I’m tired. It’s been a long day. I know when you read this the sun will be back and you’ll be well rested, but I’m writing this now, maybe 12-20 hours before I’ll have the chance to post it, and now is dark and late. Kind of.

If I can be completely honest, my life has been exceptionally demanding lately. My day begins at 6:30 with 6-8 hours of preparatory work for my dietetic internship with the occasional 30 minute run to keep up with a 60 day fitness challenge I’ve been trying out. Emails get pushed to the side. Blog updates don’t happen. I see my precious (though not all that impressive) FoodBuzz score dwindling in my absence. I actually rented Space Jam on Netflix because by the time 7pm rolls around, that’s just about all that I have the mental capacity to absorb. You probably don’t want me writing blog posts in that frame of mind, anyway.

I can’t update every other day like I used to, but it’s not because I don’t want to or am on the verge of bowing out completely. This year is going to be a challenge for Floptimism but I hope that you’ll stick around as I muddle my way through it. Because I will muddle my way through it. After all, that’s what Floptimism’s all about, right?

So since Perseverance has me cornered, it seems only right to tell you about a recipe that also required a lot (ok, just a little, let’s not get toomelodramatic here) of perseverance to get it right. I’ve been sitting on this Feta-Radish spread (not literally) for over a year now – can you believe that? I had just moved into my “new” apartment that I’ve since moved back out of when I tried it for the first time and decided that it needed some tweaking. It took until just a few weeks ago, when my mom fortuitously came home with a bunch of radishes at the same moment that I was eyeing the tub of half-used feta cheese in the fridge, wondering what to do with itt, for me to try it again. After a few adjustments, I’m really happy with the result.

This dip is so refreshing. It oozes lemon and tang. It’s creamy. It has a little bite from the almost-bitter radish slices. It feels indulgent, and maybe it even is a little bit depending on how big of a serving you give yourself, but you’ll relish every last bite. It’s a nice appetizer, but what it’s really perfect for is that afternoon lunch on a day that’s so hot and so humid you can barely think of making anything to eat at all. Whip this up in 3 minutes flat and spread it over a cracker or tortilla – something that adds a hint of garlic is a really nice touch – pour yourself a glass of cool water or iced tea, and you’ll have a couple minutes of what must be close to heaven. 

This spread is very flavorful, so a little can go a long way. It pairs well with crackers and pita, but would likely be equally as nice with fresh vegetables for an added crunch.