Garden to Table Dip for Chips
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Author Notes: This is a garden inspired take on traditional bean dip for chips. I had never tasted or seen fresh limas until they became the star of my garden. I have been shelling and freezing my beans as they mature and aside from a soup at Thanksgiving have not experimented with them. I thought making a lima bean dip would be a perfect use for them. The color of the dip in the photo reflects the fact that my limas are red. If you use frozen baby limas, you will have a lovely green dip. Lima beans have a distinctive flavor; I found that allowing this dip to sit overnight mellowed its flavor and allowed the beans to mingle with the herbs, and recommend making this one day before serving. NOTE: When adding salt to taste, I purposefully under salted my dip to take into account the crispy salty chips I had to enjoy with it. - gingerroot
Makes about 2 cups
- 2 cups fresh (shelled) lima beans (I have red limas in my yard, so used red) or frozen baby limas
- 1/2 cup cooking water, reserved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant
- Sea salt to taste
- Cayenne to taste
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- For herb coulis:
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- Squeeze of lemon juice from 1 juicy Meyer lemon wedge
- 1/4 cup cup olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- Place beans and enough water to cover them in a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook until beans are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Drain beans, reserving ½ cup of cooking water.
- Place cooked beans and water in a food processor and pulse to mash beans. You can also use a blender (which I did), although I would recommend working in batches as it took some work to get my blender going.
- Add toasted cumin and olive oil and pulse to mix. Taste mixture. Add salt and cayenne to taste (I started with ½ t salt and ¼ t of cayenne), pulse, and taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside. (If you used a blender, transfer beans to a bowl and wash blender to make herb coulis).
- Make herb coulis by placing cilantro, mint and chives in a blender. Add lemon juice. Drizzle in oil while machine is on, using a spatula to scrape down mixture when machine is off. Add salt to taste. Transfer herb mixture to a small container with a lid (you will have more than you need and can refrigerate after using).
- Thoroughly fold 2 tablespoons of herb coulis into bean mixture to combine. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to serve, taste bean dip and add more coulis if desired. I probably added another tablespoon of it before serving. Serve with chips. Enjoy!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dip
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over 2 years ago healthierkitchen
I recently bought some very beautiful looking frozen fava beans at a Middle Eastern market. Think they'd work here too?
over 2 years ago gingerroot
Hi healthierkitchen, I am not as familiar with fava beans (I've never cooked them) although I think they would be a fine substitute for limas. Let me know how it turns out. : )
over 2 years ago Midge
Fresh lima beans are the best. You are so lucky to have them in your garden! I bet this is delicious.
over 2 years ago gingerroot
Thanks, Midge! I never thought I would like fresh lima beans as much as I do. Two seasons ago, we started with Christmas limas that were lovely and nutty, not to mention beautiful. I'd love to know your thoughts if you try it.
over 2 years ago Sadassa_Ulna
Mmmmm, this sounds yum, fresh beans from the garden are so good!
over 2 years ago Sadassa_Ulna
And the herbs sound divine...
over 2 years ago gingerroot
Thanks, Sadassa_Ulna! The herbs really lighten the whole mixture and give the dip a bright, almost citrusy, character.