Curried White Bean Dip

Dear Daughter is a vegetarian again, and I'm doing my best to support her in this healthy choice, so I'm back to the weekly bean dips. What fueled her vegetarianism is that she read somewhere that in modern factory livestock farming, fully 25% of all chickens are still alive when they make it to the scalding baths. She was horrified, as am I. It seems to me that the old fashioned ways of farming not only produced more nutritious vegetables, but was also far more humane to animals. We have lost so much once we as a nation began catering to conglomerate farms and shafted the family farmers.

Today I looked in the fridge and saw a couple of things that needed to be used up: part of a bunch of cilantro, 1/4 onion, 1 lonely Roma tomato, and half a lime. If all of these were combined with some beans into a bean spread or dip, how should I spice it? No brainer - hot curry!

This one came out deliciously. Give it an hour or so for the flavors to meld, then dish it out in single portions for easy lunches with some crackers and carrot sticks.

Turn the processor on, and while running, toss in to mince finely:

1/4 onion
2 cloves garlic
a good handful of cilantro (maybe about 1/3 C before mincing)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or less if you're not macho, like dear daughter)
1 Roma tomato cut in quarters

When everything is minced well, put in two cans of great northern beans, drained very well and pulse a few times to coarsely chop. Add a drizzle of olive oil and pulse until it become a chunky paste. Stir in the juice from half a lime. Taste for seasonings. Delicious..... and stinky! Don't plan on eating this at school or work!

I think this would be yummy with lime zest, but my lime was a little dilapidated looking, though it gave about 1 tsp of juice. Zesting was definitely not in this half-lime's future!

If I had not put in the beans or the curry, this would have made a small amount of absolutely yummy salsa.... it would have been good as a garnish on a creamy soup, or maybe an egg/cheese dish.

Next..... I gotta use up a turnip that's been taking up space in my fridge for a month! Its raining here today.... maybe soup?