Toast Topper #38: Berbere White Bean Spread (or Dip)

Happy New Year's Eve! Whether you hold true to resolutions and good luck traditions or not, chances are you're going to be doing a little bit more entertaining before the holidays are over - and with the Superbowl coming up there is also the football parties to think of in terms of what to serve. Now crackers, crudites and chips are all perfect options for nibblies, but you have to serve them with something flavourful on top!

I'm personally a fan of spicy salsa and garlicky hummus , not that I would turn down a dollop of Three Chile Garlic Jam on top of a Havarti-topped Triscuit. We're hosting vegans for the first time at my stepdad's birthday party this weekend my mom wanted to have an option other than the sour cream and ranch-based dips everyone seems to bring. Sadly, the spice-loving stepfamily doesn't groove on the flavour of chickpeas, but I had a can of butter beans in my pantry that I knew would lend a nice creaminess to a dip without dairy. For the spicy heat, I went Ethiopian and tossed in a sizeable quantity of my Berbere Spice Mix, which not only amped up the flavour a ton but added a gorgeous colour too! All I can say is that it's a good thing this batch makes a few cups, because I don't know if it will stick around long enough for the party!

No Berbere Spice Mix at home and no time or inclination to make a big batch? No problem: if you don't want extra spice kicking around, (even though it is delicious on almost everything), I've included the amounts of  each spice for 1 batch of dip below.

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Berbere White Bean Spread (or Dip)
Makes about 2 cups

Spice Mixture:
1 ½ tbsp paprika
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp fenugreek
1 tsp cayenne
½ tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
generous pinch ground ginger
generous pinch ground coriander
generous pinch ground cumin
generous pinch ground black pepper
generous pinch turmeric
pinch ground allspice
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground cloves

Bean Mixture:
2 1/2 cups (1 19-oz) can cooked butter beans (large lima beans) or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup water

1. Combine all the spices in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder.
2. In a food processor (like my shiny new Cuisinart! So happy I got that for Xmas :-) ), combine all the remaining ingredients with the spices and puree, adding water as needed until desired consistency is reached (aim for something similar to hummus, remembering it will thicken just slightly upon chilling).
3. Chill at least 2 hours before serving - this allows the flavours to blend and the mixture to thicken.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 58.5
Total Fat: 3.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 46.5 mg
Total Carbs: 6.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.6 g
Protein: 1.7 g

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