WHITE BEAN DIP WITH ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL

Filed under Appetizers

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cans (15 oz.) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, rinsed

Directions
In a frying pan over medium heat, stir half the olive oil and the 2 cloves garlic for about one minute, until garlic is fragrant but not browned. Pour the oil and garlic into a food processor. Wipe out the pan and set aside. Add white beans, lemon juice, and salt to the food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a serving bowl. Return the frying pan to medium heat and add the remaining olive oil and the rosemary sprigs. Warm the rosemary in the olive oil until fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so the rosemary doesn't burn. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Discard the rosemary and drizzle the olive oil over the bean dip.

Let's Dish
Yes, it does look a lot like mashed potatoes.  But this is much heathier, and  I don't feel so bad eating the whole bowl myself.  The olive oil drizzle makes for a great presentation, but if I'm making a batch for myself I just warm all of the oil, garlic and rosemary together.  Then I process that with the beans and other ingredients.   This is great with pita chips, veggies or toasted baquette slices.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from myrecipes.com. Originally published in Sunset Magazine.