White Bean and Artichoke Dip

I made a pound of white beans earlier today for my tomato and white bean penne. With the remainder of the beans I decided to make a bean and artichoke dip. I make many different variations of bean dip. I use all different types of beans, and a lot of different flavorings. Garlic tends to make its way into most of my bean dips. I love the flavor or garlic and the idea that it may be helping to protect us from cancer. The flavor combinations that work with bean dips are almost endless and are limited only by your imagination. If you are going to keep your dip low fat it is important that you add a lot of flavor with spices and seasonings.

White Bean and Artichoke Dip
Makes 8 – ½ cup servings

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked white beans, well drained
juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons hot crushed peppers
14 ounce can of artichokes, well drained and chopped fine

Directions:

Add white beans, limes, chili powder, garlic, pepper and hot crushed peppers to the food processor and puree. Add the finely chopped artichokes to the bean dip and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I serve this with carrot, celery and cucumber sticks. It is also good on crackers or toast.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 182.21
Calories From Fat (3%) - 4.6

Total Fat - 0.56g
Saturated Fat - 0.12g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 292.58mg
Potassium - 802.03mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.73g
Fiber - 9.65g
Sugar - 0.72g
Protein - 11.48g

Comments:

This bean dip has a lot of flavor and texture. Lime is the most predominant flavor followed closely by the chili powder and hot crushed peppers. I like the textural variation this dip gets from the minced artichokes. This is good as a dip or a sandwich spread if you are looking for something to hold the fillings into a sandwich.

I love that one half cup of this dip has more then 9 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein for under 200 calories. One of the reasons I like beans and bean dips so much is that they are such a great source of protein and fiber for so few calories.