Everybody goes crazy for this spicy, high-protein dip! At a recent gathering, every person asked me for the recipe – so here it is! Sliced veggies are easy, economical and beautiful in rainbow colors. That’s because crackers are not allowed in my kitchen these days, nor are nutritionally empty chips and processed dips. Ha Ha! Instead of dead, processed foods, I love to serve colorful sliced radishes, turnips, daikon, yellow beets, zucchini, peas, etc. They’re all wonderfully ALIVE!
These flavorings are mild, so please feel free to add more seasoning LIBERALLY to your own taste, such as more vinegar, lemon, salt, garlic, and spices. Sample it as you process, and allow it come alive with flavor! BTW this recipe is not Paleo, since I’m told our ancestors didn’t eat beans. Do you believe that? Ha ha! Well, I don’t believe it either. I love beans, however you do HAVE to SOAK them at least 8 hours and cook them until very soft with NO SALT – otherwise they’re indigestible. That’s the simple secret I learned from my grandmother. You can make this dip with any bean – I like the bright color of red dal. You’ll need a food processor. Makes about 2 cups dip. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry red lentils
- 2 carrots, washed and coarsely chopped
- 170 grams pure coconut butter (That's 3/4 cup if it is soft)
- 1 large clove crushed garlic, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon unprocessed salt, or more as needed for flavor
- Plenty of black pepper
- 1 1/2 inches ginger root, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard seed, or more if you want it spicy
- a pinch of hot pepper of cayenne (Optional. Omit if you're nightshade intolerant)
- 1/2 cup pure coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons raw honey, optional to taste
Instructions
- Get out a medium stainless steel saucepan with a heavy bottom. Use it to soak the lentils in 3 cups filtered water overnight or up to 24 hours. When finished, rinse and drain the lentils in a colander.
- Put the drained lentils and coarsely chopped carrots into the saucepan and cover with filtered water. Bring to a boil WITHOUT SALT, then turn down to very low simmer until they're very soft. Keep an eye so they don't boil over or burn on the bottom. Usually 1/2 hour to 45 minutes on low should make them very soft. Drain all the liquid out. Let them sit in the colander over a bowl to release liquid, so your dip won't be runny.
- In a medium food processor, add the warm lentil-carrot mixture. Add ALL the other ingredients. Process very well until smooth and creamy. Taste the dip and adjust your seasoning to your taste by adding more spices, salt, vinegar, garlic, etc. Oh, be fearless as you adjust the seasoning until you LOVE it! Dips can handle more seasonings than you may think, and this is a healthy snack.
- Refrigerate if desired, to thicken the texture of the dip. I prefer it at room temperature so the flavors come out...so I remove it from the fridge 3 hours before serving to warm up a bit. That's it! Enjoy with sliced veggies.
2 Replies to "Curried Red Bean Dip with Veg Slices!"
Kim October 23, 2021 (1:51 pm)
Can you please tell me what the spectacularly-colored vegetables on your tray are? I use the usual vegetables on a tray with dip (peppers, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, broccoli), but you’re clearly using these beautiful vegetables that I’ve never considered using raw, and they look amazing!
Jane Barthelemy November 17, 2021 (3:01 am)
Hi Kim, As you know, I love food photography. For this photo I stopped in my organic market and bought an assortment of colored zucchini, carrots, radishes, turnips, and beets of different varieties. Sometimes they look old and crinkled on the outside, but inside the colors are eye-sizzling! It helps to have a full-service produce department that offers the interesting root veggies in season. This is part of my campaign to discontinue “crackers” with dip. Crackers are notoriously empty in nutrients, overbaked, made of gut-irritating fine-ground flour and indigestible seeds that look nice but do nothing for your health. Thanks for your comment. Good luck and have fun with colors!!! Jane