Honey Nut Bean Dip
Cannellini Beans Make This a Delicious, Heart-Healthy Snack
This healthy snack recipe is a cross between a nut butter and a bean dip recipe.
Bean dip recipes aren't normally sweet, but this one is different. It tastes almost like a honey-flavored peanut butter, making this an ideal way to get kids to eat vegetables.
Like a hummus, you can serve this recipe as a dip with carrot and celery sticks, pita chips, sliced red peppers or homemade tortilla chips.
This bean recipe also makes a great sandwich spread in place of peanut butter with jam or jelly. It's also wonderful on a sandwich with shredded carrots or sliced bananas. (Elvis would be proud!) Grill it for an even tastier lunch dish.
This recipe calls for cannellini beans. Cannellini beans, also called white kidney beans, are used a lot in Italian cooking. They have a mild taste, which makes them an excellent choice when you want to add fiber and protein to dips and spreads, without adding a strong flavor.
Like all beans, cannellini beans are a wonderful source of fiber, protein and iron, and they have zero cholesterol (that's why they say beans are so heart-healthy). If you can't find cannellini beans, feel free to use navy beans or great northern beans instead.
Try to use the healthiest peanut butter you can find in this recipe. Look for peanut butter without any corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils or added sugar. Even if your family does not normally eat so-called "healthy" peanut butters, you may be able to get away with one in this recipe, since it is mixed with other ingredients in the dip.
Smart Balance is a good heart-healthy brand of peanut butter, as it has no trans fats and contains flaxseed oil, which is a good source of heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
Honey Nut Bean Dip Recipe
- 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup no-sugar-added peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp. honey
Place all the ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until well-blended. This bean dip should be be the consistency of hummus -- smooth, but without any chunks. Serve immediately.
Makes approximately 2 cups.
Per 1/4 cup serving: 124 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 17 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 6 g protein, 6% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 4% calcium, 17% iron
For more healthy snack recipes, see also:
- Black Bean Dip
- Roasted Red Pepper Black Bean Dip
- 3 Layer Mexican Dip Recipe
- 7 Layer Mexican Dip Recipe
- Best Guacamole Dip Ever
- Zesty Guacamole Salsa
- Guacamole with Tomatillos
- Avocado Salsa Recipe
- Tomato Salsa Recipe
- Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Dip
- Roasted Garbanzo Beans
- Mini Vegetable Tarts
- Quinoa Cheese Cookies
