White Bean Dip with almonds

Last night we had two families over for a laid back, easy meal. The weather was great, the food was wonderful and one of the families surprised us by bringing 4 lobsters that they had caught in their lobster pot that morning! It was a very delightful Maine barbeque.

I whipped up this dip and if you have all the ingredients on hand it can be made in 10 minutes.

It is a great alternative to cheesy, dairy based dips that I personally do not enjoy.

Try it and let me know what you think!

White Bean Dip with Almonds

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 gloves of garlic, sliced thin

2 cups cooked white beans

3/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds

Fine grain Sea Salt

1 tbs. fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed

1/4 cup water

In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Over medium low heat, slowly warm, until the oil just barely starts to sizzle, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Pour the oil through a strainer and discard the garlic and rosemary.

In a food processor, combine the beans with 1/2 cup of the almonds, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Pulse a couple of times to bring the ingredients together. Add the water slowly and pulse until the dip is a consistency that you would enjoy. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired. Scoop the dip into a bowl and top with the remaining almonds and drizzle with the garlic rosemary oil.