A Note Before You Start
I wanted my dip to have a creamy consistency but I didn't want the calories of cream cheese, mayo, or sour cream, so I used one of my favorite hacks: pureed low fat cottage cheese. I simply put a half of a cup of cottage cheese into my mini chopper and processed it until it became silky smooth (about 1 minute).
Ingredients
1 head of garlic
2 tsp of olive oil plus 4 TBSP
1 15oz can of small white beans - drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese puree - see a note before you start above.
zest of one lemon
2 TBSP of fresh lemon juice
a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
1 TBSP of fresh herbs of choice (I used a combination of fresh thyme and chopped parsley
Preparation
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Step 2: Cut off the top quarter of the head of garlic. Place it in a foil pouch and drizzle it with 2 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 60 minutes in an oven safe container (until golden brown). Let it cool.
Step 3: Squeeze the cooled garlic cloves into the bowl of a food processor. Add the can of drained, rinsed white beans, pureed cottage cheese, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes if using and the remaining olive oil. Puree until smooth. Add freshly chopped herbs of choice, and adjust for salt and pepper. If your mixture is too thick add a TBSP or more of water one tablespoon at a time.