Garlic White Bean Dip

My sister and I have never functioned well when we are hungry. As kids, my parents always knew that it was snack time when we were getting cranky or annoying or tired. We are probably borderline hypoglycemic if you want my clinical opinion (which you shouldn’t because I majored in history). We mainly refer to it as “HHT.”

HHT is a acronym for the condition my sister deemed to be the worst combination of feelings. Ever.

Hot, Hungry and Tired. Even saying the words out loud together makes me grumpy.

If you’re one of the three – you might start to feel like you want to yell at someone for being stupid, but you can probably choke back the insult if you really concentrate. If you’re two of the three – you’ve probably had a small outburst that caused your significant other/friends/parents/random strangers to ask if you meant to scream at that poor old man legally crossing the street in the crosswalk. If you’re all three of them together – forget it. Nothing is going to save you except air conditioning to the face, a burrito and an IV filled with fountain soda.

Or cannon-balling into the ocean.

Like many people in New England, I’ve been HHT for much of the past three weeks. This leads to ZERO desire to cook anything. Luckily I have two things.

1. A fabulous boyfriend who loves to cook and grill.

2. A food processor with which to make things like garlic white bean spread.

I had the idea for garlic white bean dip after having it at a delicious lunch a few weeks ago. Plus, the only amount of cooking involves sauteing garlic, so I was on board.

Recipe (From Weight Watchers.com):

 

1 tsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

15 1/2 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp water (I added more)

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika (I also threw in some cumin)

 

To prepare dip, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; sauté garlic, stirring constantly, until garlic just begins to turn golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

 

In a food processor (or blender), combine oil mixture, beans and lemon juice. Process until smooth, slowly adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to obtain a thick yet creamy consistency; season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Transfer dip to a small bowl and garnish with paprika or chopped parsley, if desired. Serve with prepared vegetables. Yields about 1/4 cup of dip and 1 cup of vegetables per serving.

 

 

Serve with delicious items such as cucumbers and carrots and zucchini. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Repeat until HHT is squashed. Blame the corny puns on the heat.