This past weekend was my bridal shower, so we know what that means…food.  Tons of food.  And prosecco.  And pushups.

Among everything else, there were leftovers.  Tons of leftovers.  The party wasn’t even at my house and I ended up with two full veggie trays, a tub of fruit, marshmallow fluff dip, homemade chicken salad mini sandwiches, two pizzas [where did those come from?], vanilla bean cookies [sans raspberry filling], mini quiches, spanakopita, two boxes of gourmet Angel Cakes, and an entire container of “Puppy Chow” [if you aren’t familiar, I will have to post about it after the wedding…amaze balls.].  Needless to say, I didn’t even have to go grocery shopping this week.

I wanted a good way to use up all of the veggies without ruining the diet.  I know that sounds weird, but just because a dish has vegetables in it doesn’t mean it is good for you.  All of the recipes I found involved dairy and carbs…eh, overrated.  First, I made a beer and BBQ pot roast in the crockpot [yum].  Then, I made a cold bean dip…and good lord.  Whats better than dipping veggies? Dipping veggies in more veggies!

This is one of those things that [if you are me] that all of the ingredients are already in the pantry.  Score.

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cold white bean dip with garlic and basil:.

yield: 5-6 servings | roughly 75 calories
[1/4 cup serving size | 3g fiber, 3g protein, 9 carbs, & 3g fat]

• 1 can small white beans or cannellini beans
• 1 tsp dried basil [or to taste]
• 1/2 tsp onion powder [or to taste]
• fresh cracked salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1 tbsp minced garlic

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until desired consistency.  Serve chilled with crackers, chips, or vegetables.  [I used celery, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and mediterranean seasons crackers.]

The was inspired by How Sweet It Is: Roasted Garlic and Dill White Bean Dip.  I was in a hurry and didn’t have fresh dill, so I just kind of went with it.  My version literally took me 10 minutes…perfect for a mid-week snack.  If you aren’t big on basil, try subbing other herbs [like dill or rosemary].  Just remember that if you are using fresh herbs, they will stronger than the dried…use sparingly and to taste.  The How Sweet It Is version uses roasted garlic, which will also have a stronger taste.  I definitely want to try that one day when I have more time and full cloves of garlic.

And a fun little secret…switch the beans out to chickpeas and you will have a tasty hummus!  Enjoy.