Herb & Olive White Bean Dip

Well, here I go again with yet another dip recipe. I am on a roll! The thing I love about making dips is that it is so incredibly easy to do, you just throw a bunch of stuff into a food processor and turn it on. Hmm, sounds difficult, huh? And once you get the hang of what flavors go with what, the possibilities are endless. This recipe came to me this morning as I was standing in my kitchen, gazing into my refrigerator at a bowl of cooked white beans I had made a few days before but had not done anything with yet. I wanted something to dip my fresh cucumbers in, so off to work I set, creating this dip as sort of a cross between hummus and pesto. If you have some Parmesan on hand, I recommend adding it to the mix. I think it would be quite lovely in here. (Needless to say, I would have added it, had I had it!)

We just got our grass fed beef order delivered to our house today. We're already pumped about grilling up some of those burgers tonight. Did you know that grass fed beef is naturally lower in fat and higher in omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated lineoleic acid than its grain fed counterparts? In layman's terms, it's totally healthier. Let's just be clear about one thing here: God created cows to eat grass. Period. When we  start messing around with the cow's intended diet and start feeding them corn and soy and grains (and who knows what else), we are asking for some health results that could be dangerous... or deadly.

That's why we made the switch to grass fed beef a few years ago and have found an amazing farmer in our area that delivers right to our door. More expensive, you ask? Sure, initially, but not really when you think that we are not eating hormones or steroids or antibiotics and are therefore setting ourselves up for a life free of cancer and other diseases (meaning that good quality grass fed beef shouldn't necessitate the need to medicate. Because a life on medication? Now that's expensive!)

If you have not already made the conversion to grass fed beef, please do yourself and your family a favor and watch the movie Food, Inc. I guarantee you will never look at a cow or chicken the same (or maybe I should say that a cow or chicken will never look the same to you again! Watch the movie and you'll understand what I mean).

This recipe doesn't have anything to do with grass fed beef (I'll get off of my soapbox now), so all you vegans and vegetarians (and those who already eat grass fed beef and don't need to hear me preach about it), go to town on this one.


Herb & Olive White Bean Dip

2 cups cooked white beans
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup mixed olives (green, kalamata, etc.)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil and parsley
salt, pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Add all ingredients except olive oil in bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Then run the food processor and while running, stream in the olive oil. Continue processing for 30 seconds to a minute until all ingredients are well combined (I like mine a tad chunky). Taste and correct salt and pepper as needed.

My suggestion for serving is slathered on top of grilled eggplant. Amazing!