If hummus and pesto got together and decided to have a baby, I suspect it would taste something like this.
Fresh, creamy and deliciously aromatic, a full-bodied spread infused with peppery notes, hints of piquant garlic and tangy lemon all wrapped up in a delicate shade of chartreuse.
The term hummus is traditionally reserved for the well-loved Middle Eastern classic made with chickpea and sesame seed (tahini) but in North America, for good or for bad, it often takes on a more liberal interpretation encompassing a broad variety of beans and even vegetable purées. It’s one of those brand recognition things that gets turned out onto a larger class of similars.
Food lovers (or sensualists as I recently came across – how great is that) sometimes have an irrepressible urge to tinker. That doesn’t mean we necessarily improve on things or that we don’t appreciate and wander back to the point of origin (classics are established for a reason after all), but there is something to be said for variety and the pleasure of playing.
With summer nipping at our heels and fragrant basil all around, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to pair a few of our favorites in this simple summer purée which works well as a dip but need not be limited to dunking. This mixture is delicious in sandwiches as a spread, on top of grilled chicken and fish, burgs of all kinds and mixed into salads — I love it with my boiled eggs and coleslaw at lunch. Protein rich (beans, cashew), gorgeous fats (olive oil, cashew) and low glycemic carbohydrates (beans) enlivened by fragrant seasonings.
And you can make this beauty your own every time. Play with different combinations of pulses (lentils/beans), vegetables and fruit and don’t forget to draw in those delicious garden herbs too!
- 2 cups cooked white beans, thoroughly rinsed if using canned (I used Great Northern Beans - slightly smaller than cannellini prepared from dry)
- 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil
- ½ cup soaked cashews
- 4-6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2-4 garlic cloves, chopped fine (I used 3)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp coarse black pepper
- optional heat: see Notes below.
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with tepid water allowing the nuts to soak for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight before draining.
- Place cooked and cooled beans, basil, drained cashews, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, sea salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and pulse (stopping to scrape down as necessary) until desired texture is achieved - lumpy, smooth, etc.
- Taste the dip and adjust seasonings as desired (keeping in mind that some flavors - particularly garlic - build over time).
- This dip will store well in a covered container in the fridge for about one week.
- See Notes below for other details.
Adding Heat - although I do love heat, I didn't want to spoil the delicate play of flavors in this dip (perfectly fragrant in their own right) by adding any here but as always this is a personal choice. If you would like to add a little kick, any number of options may work here from paprika to red pepper flakes to a variety of chiles such as ancho, chipotle and cayenne or the milder more generic 'chili powder' found in grocery stores.
Soaking the Cashews - I soaked the cashews for texture in this recipe - adding to that creamy factor. For those on a primarily plant based diet there may also be the benefit of reducing phytates which bind minerals making them less available for absorption (most of us aptly make up for these minerals through expansive diets) - keep in mind too that though phytic acid often gets a bad wrap in the anecdotal literature, it operates as an antioxidant in the body.
The Crackers - I discovered the 3 seed sweet potato crackers (gluten-free) you see in the images at Nob Hill the other day when I was assembling goodies as a thank you for my son's college reference writers (his idea!) - they're really yummy and I appreciate their no nonsense ingredients. RW Garcia is based out of San Jose, CA (see you next year Sharks!).
Beautiful. Such great flavors. I always use Great Northern beans for any kind of white bean dip. They’re just softer and don’t get mealy!
I love your photographs! This dip looks insanely delicious. I love hummus and have been looking for similar alternatives. The addition of cashew nuts really intrigued me. Thanks for sharing!
Love creamy cashew, looks so delicious and amazing, great shoot.
Have you been listening in on the conversations at our house about hummus? Bobby loves hummus and I can take it or leave it. However, I bought a “sprouted chickpea” hummus the other day and it did not have Tahini nor did it have the graininess of some hummus. We both loved it! I mentioned that I bet a hummus made with white beans would be something that we enjoy and here it is. White beans, no Tahini, and then the flavors we love – basil and lemon. You can bet I’ll be making this soon!!! Probably for supper this weekend. :) Sounds good and looks good!
oh, sounds like it might be a taste match! let me know if you end up giving it a try… I think pulsing may also play into the texture. I have a bit of a betty blender (clunker) but some others (including food processors) do a marvelous job taking care of the gritty factor :d
Ok, from now on, Sensualist is my middle name… hope you don’t mind… too irresistible!
;-)
I got some heat from a reader once when I called hummus something that was clearly a departure from – ok, I admit some people don’t like that type of freedom with words, but I see the same done with pesto… or even Bolognese sauce in vegetarian forms (now THAT is pushing it a little)
your photos in this particular post are AMAZING!
(hope your Summer is starting well…)
Hey there Sally Sensualist, lovely to see you :) I hope your summer is moving along swimmingly.
First of all, I must say the second photograph is just breathtakingly beautiful! If I lived closer, I’d ask you for photography classes. This dip sounds fantastic and what a lovely alternative to hummus too! I don’t eat much for breakfast (during the week); for the last years different dips and crunchy “diet” bread have been my favourite morning (and afternoon) snacks, so I always have at least one kind in a jar in the fridge. I’m thrilled to add this new one to the list!
Hello Sissi, I hope you’ve been enjoying a beautiful summer. Thank you for the kind compliment on my photography – it’s the toughest part of the food blogging deal for me so it’s lovely to hear :) I hope you enjoy this riff on traditional hummus if you get a chance to make it (by the way, what is diet bread?).
Sensualists! I like that. :) When summer hits (and the heat, ugh), I find myself eating lots of toasts and crackers with different spreads because everything else seems to heavy. I love the combination of flavors here and will most certainly be making this soon! xo.
I feel the same way in the heat Tessa – my digestive system does much better on plant proteins and smaller portions generally through the summer. The great thing about dips too is that you can load them up with all the macros so that you’re getting a concentrated source of nutrition.
I’ll take sensualists, thank you very much :D ! This spread, Kelly. So much going on here. Those cashews, you know I’m in love and am a daily connoisseur of them via mylk, icecream, spreads, dips, chia pud… you name it. So I’m totally heart eyes over this creamy, flavor packed, and nourishing spread. I can imagine this on sandwiches too! The crackers are noted. Thank you for this recipe Kelly and the nod to tinkering! xo
sensualist pretty much wraps it up, am I right? :0) Cashews are a beautiful thing, if only they were just a tinsy bit more affordable. Happy Weekend lady ~ enjoy the tinkering.
This dip looks and sounds wonderful, Kelly. I adore the colour. Like you, I love to play with different beans and pulses for dips, the little crackers look delicious too. Summertime is definitely cocktail season and I never serve alcohol without a little something to eat. I’m definitely going to give this a go this year…I even have a bag of cashews in my pantry!
the crackers were a welcome find – light, crunchy and nicely flavored. So handy to have on hand too when feeding GF guests. I hope you’re summer is off to a great start Eva ~ enjoy your peaceful and beautiful get-away by the lake.