1 food 5 ways, Navy Beans, Way #1: Buffalo Bleu Dip

If you were to ask me what my favorite bean is, you'd most likely hear a response of garbanzo, black beans or brown/green lentils. My favorite changes a lot because they are so different in taste. But, if you asked what the most used bean is, the answer would always be the same: Navy Beans!! Though a little different from each other, in these posts Navy & Great Northern Beans are interchangeable. Use whichever one you have access to.

Navy beans are a good source of fiber, iron and the mood enhancing amino acid tryptophan. But I wont give you a science lesson here (you can read more about them at World's Healthiest foods if you're interested). What I will tell you is that I consider these the tofu of beans. As a soy free vegan, the "tofu of beans" is very important. The beans themselves have a mild flavor that takes on pretty much whatever flavors you mix in. Sometimes I even actually use them as a tofu replacement in recipes You'll get an example or two of this in later posts. But for now, I give to you the best reason for beans in the world: dip!!!

One of the things I missed most when I eliminated dairy from my diet was bleu cheese. I didn't even need to eat the stuff, but I sure wanted dressing. More specifically, I wanted something that went with Buffalo sauce! Then one day I discovered The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook (really great book for cheese substitutes!). There was a bleu cheese dressing in it. I always found it way too thin for dipping (after all it never claimed to be a dip), but the bleu flavor is delicious. After further consideration, I realized I rarely wanted bleu cheese flavor without Buffalo Sauce. So I used the basic flavor from UUC and changed it into the perfect answer: Buffalo Bleu Dip! It's part bleu cheese, part bean dip, part Buffalo sauce and all yum!!

It's really good with potato chips, but my favorite way to have it is with chickpea nuggets, baby carrots and celery sticks...a nod to the the old days of the Buffalo Wing Basket at Applebee's

Buffalo Bleu Dip

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups cooked Navy Beans

2 Tbsp Tahini

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

2 pinches white pepper

Juice of 2 lemons (about 2 Tbsp)
1 tsp chickpea miso

2 Tbsp soy-free Earth Balance, melted

4 Tbsp Texas Pete Hot Sauce (see note below*)

Water to desired thickness. I use about 1/4 cup.

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Taste for hot sauce and salt. Add to taste if necessary. Refrigerate for at least an hour for the flavors to mix together and the dip to chill.

*Note about Texas Pete. It's not super hot. In fact it's on the mild side, but it has a really great smooth flavor that's perfect for Buffalo Sauce. (And it hails from North Carolina!!) SO if you're not using Texas Pete and your hot sauce is really hot, you will probably want to take this measurement down. You might want to anyway if you're a bit of a heat wimp ;) Just do it to taste. Remember, you can add more, but you can't take it out!