Roasted Garlic Bean Dip

this may be hard to believe if you are a fairly new reader of this blog. but, when i first started this blog, it was a clean eating food blog. i firmly believe in not depriving myself but i think i may have let this get a little out of hand in the past couple of months.

this past year, i read "in defense of food" by michael pollan and it completely changed my way of thinking about food. he talks about what i think is the epitome of clean eating. his philosophy is: eat food. not too much. mostly plants. the real lighting bolt is the "eat food" part. he defines food as something that comes directly from the earth or from an animal, not something that comes from a box that man created. basically if it comes in a box and you can't pronounce the ingredients, you shouldn't be eating it.

so i wanted to let you all know i am going back to my roots and focusing on real food, real ingredients, in real recipes. please don't think that this will make my recipes harder or more time consuming to make. truthfully, some of my clients favorite meals, are the easiest to make because food tastes good. most things don't need much to highlight their flavors.

to start of the new year right, i have a great bean dip for your veggies. i'm not sure about you, but I am not a huge fan of plain, raw veggies. i need something to make them taste a little better. this dip is just what the doctor ordered. this roasted garlic bean dip a lot like hummus but it has both chick peas and cannellini beans. an added plus? the protein from the beans will help you feel fuller longer. a little extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, and roasted garlic packs this dip with a flavor punch. eating veggies will no longer be a chore.

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Roasted Garlic Bean Dip

15 oz cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1/2 head roasted garlic
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil

combine all ingredients except olive oil in food processor. process for 1 minute. while processor is running, add olive oil and process until smooth. serve with raw vegetables, pita chips, or tortilla chips.