Basil White Bean Spread

This delicious vegan recipe is going to be on repeat all summer long at our house. It makes delicious sandwiches and spreads for picnics at the beach and doubles as a dip for snacking around the pool on hot afternoons. We love all sorts of white beans for this but creamy organic Great Northern Beans and the sweet, protein packed White Tepary Beans are our favorites here.

Tepary Beans

Highly acclaimed for it's nutritional value the stotoah bavi (white tepary bean) is noted for its unique and delicious naturally sweet yet savory flavor and creamy texture. The white tepary bean make delicious hummus, soups, salads, dips and spreads. 

Ramona Farms shares with us their traditional foods grown on the ancestral lands of the Akimel O'Odham (Gila River Pima) tribe in Arizona's Sonora Desert. An ingredient in the Slow Food Ark of Taste, the tepary bean is believed to be the world’s most drought tolerant bean, and higher in fiber and protein than most other beans with a low glycemic index and superior taste.

Organic Great Northern Beans

We love these delicious white beans in everything from our Vegan White Bean Corn Chowder to our a protein packed Basil White Bean Spread. They are a versatile bean with a silky texture and a delicate flavor making them perfect for soups, stews, dips and spreads.

The Great Northern White Bean was given its name due to the fact that it can thrive in the harshest conditions. As part of the white bean family, Great Northern was grown in the Americas before Europeans arrived. They are thought to have been originally grown by the Mandan Indians of the Dakotas.Shortly after the discovery of the new world the bean started finding its way to South America and Europe. Spanish explorers brought these beans back home when returning from their voyages to the New World and also helped introduce these beans to Africa through trade. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Dry White Tepary Beans or Organic Great Northern Beans
• 1 Bunch fresh basil
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Basil Olive Oil (you can substitute a good quality olive oil like Seka Hills)
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt plus extra Pacific Flake Sea Salt for serving
• 1 Ice Cube

Directions:

1. Cook the beans using the method of your choice. Read our guide to cooking perfect beans here. (Hint - you don't need to soak them!)

2. Using a slotted spoon transfer the beans to your blender.

3. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and ice cube.

4. Blend on high, adding cold water if it is too thick. 

The finished spread can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2-4 days. Serve on toasted bread with sliced tomatoes and extra basil or with crackers or pita chips.