A high antioxidant alternative to hummus!
This vibrant red sun dried tomato, borlotti and basil dip is packed with antioxidants and makes a perfect lunchtime snack with oatcakes or flax crackers, or even in a wrap packed with salad leaves.
If you can’t find borlotti, (we like the additional antioxidants provided by the pale red colour of the bean), butter beans will work just as well.
Raw tomatoes are wonderful, but sunblush, or sundried tomatoes also feature regularly on our tables; when tomatoes are cooked or processed, we are able to absorb more of the beneficial lycopene that they’re famous for.
We absorb even more lycopene (and beta-carotene from the basil) in the presence of oil – so choosing a higher antioxidant, good quality extra-virgin olive oil is well worth the investment for this dip.
Herbs are packed with healthy oils and nutrients, but it’s often hard to eat enough quantity of herbs to make a difference. Basil is the exception – it’s easy to use vast quantities of leaves in recipes like this.
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- 1 can borlotti beans drained, or butter beans
- 100 g sunblush tomatoes or sundried, drained of oil
- 5 sprigs basil leaves 30-40 leaves
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- Add all ingredients to the food processor and blitz until well mixed - the amount of olive oil you need depends on the oil content of your tomatoes