These two dips are an absolute staple of mine – for adding flavor to a nutritious bowl during the week and especially for serving to guests with chips and veggies. In terms of party nibbles, you’re half-way there with a good dip (or two) in my opinion. And while there are so many great dips you can buy, these combos bring something extra to the table and are incredibly quick to whip up – faster than going to the store. They require little to no prep and consist of pantry ingredients that you can always have at the ready for when you’re in the mood or friends stop by unexpectedly. Alternatively you can make the dip(s) the day before an event.
Beyond being quick and delicious they’re also pretty darn nutritious, consisting largely of butter beans,* which are high in fiber and protein and rich in micronutrients such as manganese. I love the creamy texture and slightly milder taste of butter beans (compared to chickpeas), making them super adaptable. Let me introduce you to the following two combos:
- Butter Bean & Artichoke Dip – a dip I’ve been making for a few years now. If you’ve been to my place for dinner or drinks, chances are high that you’ll have had this 🙂
- Butter Bean & Red Pepper Dip – a more recent favorite. When at some point I realized that almost everyone whom I’d invited would have tried the artichoke dip already, I decided to switch things up. I’m super happy with how it turned out and got positive feedback on this one as well.
*I use these ones, which are also labeled Bianchi di Spagna (White Spanish Beans). Butter beans are also known as lima beans.
Serving suggestions: The dips work well with crudités, bread sticks, pita bread (f you have time to warm the pita bread up, even better) or a nice sourdough, for example. Often I also serve some olives or caper berries and marinated nuts.
I also love making these dips just for myself to have during the week either on bread, maybe adding some leftover tofu or tempeh if I have any and some fresh greens for an easy sandwich, or as a topping to a salad or buddha bowl.
Butter Bean Artichoke Dip
Makes: ca. 4 small serving plates (pictured) or 2 small bowls full
Ingredients
- 155g butter beans, drained weight
- 135g artichoke hearts (from a jar)*, drained weight <- keep at least 1 tbsp of the liquid
- 1 tbsp oil from the artichoke hearts (alternatively olive oil)
- 2 tbsp water
- optional: toppings (black sesame seeds and extra olive oil or toasted nuts, fresh parsley, etc.)
*I use these, which are seasoned with white wine vinegar, salt, an acidifying agent, an antioxidant, parsley and stored in sunflower and olive oil. If you can only find artichoke hearts in water, you’ll have to compensate for the lost flavor and the richness of the oil: While I haven’t tried a substitution myself, I would suggest subbing the water in this recipe for additional olive oil and adding some fresh or dried herbs, e.g., parsley.
Method
- Blend all the ingredients in your blender food processor (I use my Vitamix on the “dips and spreads” setting, which makes the dip super smooth and almost slightly fluffy).
- Garnish with any toppings (e.g., drizzle of olive oil, black sesame seeds, hemp seeds, toasted slivered almonds, fresh parsley) and serve as desired. The dip will last a few days in the fridge.
Butter Bean Red Pepper Dip
Makes: ca. 4 small serving plates (pictured) or 2 small bowls full
Ingredients
- 155g butter beans, drained weight
- 100g red bell pepper (from a jar)*, drained weight
- 50g walnuts
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp hot paprika**
- a pinch of salt / to taste
- optional: a (small) squeeze of date syrup
- optional: toppings (extra sprinkle of hot paprika and olive oil or crushed toasted walnuts, fresh parsley or coriander, etc.)
*I use this one, which has been grilled and stored in water, salt, grape juice and an acidifying agent. If you find some in olive oil and marinated with compatible herbs, for example, I’d say go with that instead and potentially replace some of the olive oil in this recipe with water.
**This adds a nice, (mildly) spicy kick. Feel free to adapt the amount to your personal preference.
Method
- Toast the walnuts in a dry pan on high-medium heat, keeping an eye on them, to prevent them from burning.
- Blend all the ingredients in your blender food processor (I use my Vitamix on the “dips and spreads” setting, which makes the dip super smooth and almost slightly fluffy).
- Garnish with any toppings (e.g., drizzle of olive oil, extra sprinkle of hot paprika, some crushed toasted walnuts, coriander) and serve as desired. The dip will last a few days in the fridge.
Blueberrysmiles 