“You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place, I told him, like you’ll not only miss the people you love but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you’ll never be this way ever again.” – Azar Nafisi
Sometimes the words just don’t come. And sometimes, someone has already said it for you. For now, just trying to find out where I belong, I guess sometimes we all are. Hold on x
ROASTED GOLDEN BEET + WHITE BEAN DIP WITH CARAWAY FLAX SEED CRISPS
We had friends over for dinner the other night, and while enjoying this white bean dip, one of them said, ‘there’s this cracker thing going on.’ I laughed because it was so true. Fancy crackers fill the aisles of the supermarkets and health food stores here, and if you’re not careful you could end up breaking the bank for just few crunchy bites. I can’t promise all of you will have the ingredients in your pantry to make these crackers, and even though the ingredients all together might costs more than your favorite box, in the end you’ll have so many more batches of good, quick + easy crackers to make in your own home. The beauty of these is that you can change up the flavors. Swap the caraways seeds out for rosemary, pumpkin seeds, or maybe some dried fruit. (*I’ve just recently made these again with cumin, chili and rosemary – a new favorite flavor!) I would love to know your favorite combinations!
And this white bean dip, well this dip makes hummus a little nervous. Best enjoyed in good company.
Vegan + Gluten Free. Serves 8.
Ingredients
Dip
2 medium golden beets, peeled + chopped
3 small shallots, peeled + halved
4 garlic cloves
1 + 1/2 cups cooked white beans (I used cannellini)
2 – 3 teaspoons of prepared horseradish (optional)
Juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh parsley, chopped
Crackers
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (flax meal)
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 cup brown rice flour
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons gluten free tamari
1/2 cup lukewarm water
Instructions
White Bean Dip
Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C
Place chopped beets, shallots and garlic in a oven dish and toss with a little olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt. Roast for 15 minutes then cover with foil and roast until the beets are tender, and easily pierced with a fork – about 30 minutes. I cover with foil so that everything cooks evenly, and the garlic and shallots don’t get too crispy, this might depend on your oven. Remove from oven and let cool.
Place roasted beets, shallots and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and blend until well mixed, it’s ok if it’s a bit chunky. Add beans (reserve a few for topping), horseradish, lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt and blend again. With the motor running poor in the olive oil. Continue to blend until smooth, add a tablespoon of water to help things along if needed – I find this also makes for a creamier texture. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more horseradish if desired. Transfer to a bowl or keep stored in the fridge for a few days.
In a small bowl toss together reserved beans, chopped parsley, and a splash of olive oil. Spoon on top of dip and grate over some lemon zest and a bit of cracked black pepper. Serve with crackers, endives or any other dipping favorites.
Crackers
Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C
In a large bowl, whisk together ground flax, flax seeds, brown rice flour and caraway seeds so that everything is well combined. Make a small well in the middle of the dry mix and poor in tamari, olive oil and water. Use a wooden spoon to combine and make sure to pick up all the flour-y bits on the sides and bottom of the bowl. The mixture should come together quite easily. Bring everything together with your hands and gently pat together and smooth out the top so that you have a large disk shape in the bowl, don’t worry it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just makes halving it easier later. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Use a knife to half the dough. Take out one half and form a disc shape using your hands. Place the disc on a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover your largest baking sheet. Place another piece of parchment on top and using a rolling pan, roll out the dough between the two layers of parchment until even and thin, think – the thinner the crispier, without going over the edges of the paper. Remove the top layer of parchment and transfer the crackers on the bottom layer of parchment to your baking sheet.
Bake in the oven until crisp, set in the middle and the edges are brown, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool and then break up into whatever shape or size you like. Dip, dunk and enjoy. Store in a sealed container for up to a week.
Let me in on your kitchen creations – tag your photos #happyheartedkitchen and share the love!
16 Comments
Inês
October 26, 2015 at 1:13 pmHi Jodi! The quote is just brilliant… describes that feeling perfectly.I totally relate.
Oh, and as soon as I can get golden beets at the market I’l give this a try. Is there anything I can use instead of horseradish, we don’t get it very often here in Portugal. thank you so much!
Shelley Ludman
October 26, 2015 at 1:54 pmYesss! You’re finally sharing this recipe! Since we taste tested this the other night at dinner I couldn’t wait to re-make this dip at home. YUM.
Sending a big hug over your way this morning Jodes — the girl that amidst all this change, hasn’t swayed from being there for me 100%, and I know, that over time, it will all feel right (whatever ‘it’ is). Love you xx
Jodi Kay
October 28, 2015 at 1:23 pmThank you, Shelley – for everything. And now we can be each others official taste testers, doesn’t get much better x
Inês
October 26, 2015 at 6:32 pmHi Jodi! First of all love the quote, it’s describes perfectly that feeling. Totally relate.
And the dip sounds amazing, as soon as I see some golden beets on the market I’m so giving it a go! Just one question, I’me not sure I can find horseradish here in Portugal, is there anything else I could use? thank you so much :)
Jodi Kay
October 27, 2015 at 12:03 pmHi Ines! I hope you do find some golden beets at the market soon too! Not sure if they are in season soon in Portugal, but I think so? You can usually find fresh or prepared horseradish at health food stores or specialty food markets, it is a pretty standard condiment over here with a distinct taste. It really gives a good after-kick to this dip. If you can’t find it I might say to leave it out, or try to find some black radish. I’m not sure it will have the exact same taste but it might be somewhat similar. Let me know how it goes! x
Inês
October 27, 2015 at 6:12 pmYes they will :) I’ll try and find horseradish, if I can’t black radish I’m sure I can get. thank you so much for your reply :)
danielle is rooting the sun
October 27, 2015 at 5:02 amdelightful recipe Jodi, i adore every element involved. it’s wonderful to be able to craft crackers for snacks at home, it’s so rewarding to enjoy the details. the golden beets, horseradish, and beans make for an inspired dip. i haven’t known you terribly long, but i wish you all my wellness. xo
Jodi Kay
October 27, 2015 at 11:59 amThank you Danielle, this is definitely my new favorite thing for entertaining, it’s familiar and original al at the same time. These crackers are so easy to throw together, no blender or food processor needed! It’s been a strange but wonderful adjustment moving home, being in the kitchen makes it so much better. Hope you are doing well x
genevieve @ gratitude and gree
October 27, 2015 at 2:08 pmThere is DEFINITELY a cracker thing going on. My boyfriend and I love Raincoast Crisps but they are so expensive (7.99 or 8.99 a box?) so we bought that one box a year ago and sadly haven’t purchased them since, haha. Having moved several places in my life, that Azar Nafisi quote is so relatable, and it’s wonderful to find quotes like that because you know someone else has felt the same way you have. xo
Jodi Kay
October 28, 2015 at 1:25 pmOh I love raincoast crisps, I’ve tried to recreate them at home but it was a bit of a multi step process and just not really worth it. THESE however are super easy and take very little brain power – haha! Thanks for the kind words, Gen x
Nicole Spiridakis
October 28, 2015 at 12:02 pmI love this quote! After 2 major moves in less than 2 years I can really relate … Missing a place where I wasn’t totally happy but missing it nonetheless because of who I was then. Moving is hard, even when you’re coming home. All the best to you (and this dip looks amazing).
Jodi Kay
October 28, 2015 at 1:27 pmThank you, Nicole. That’s exactly it, I was sitting here trying to put into words how I felt, feeling a little bit silly to be sad because we’ve been dreaming of moving home for so long now. I guess thats just life, trying to soak in every moment. You’re comment meant a lot to me – thank you again x
Sarah | Well and Full
October 28, 2015 at 3:30 pmSending the biggest, hugest hug, Jodi!! XX
Kathryn
October 28, 2015 at 5:07 pmOh man, that quote is just so right + true. Sending you lots of love xo
Sophie | The Green Life
October 30, 2015 at 1:41 amThat quote is so powerful, so true, it made me shiver. Thank you so much for sharing. Finding where I belong seems to be a constant struggle in my life. The thing is, I’m pretty sure no place will ever be perfect. Human nature is quite interesting in that we’re never completely satisfied with either who we are, where we are or what we have. The next destination always sounds more promising than the one we’re leaving, yet it rarely ends up filling the void we were trying to escape from. The real challenge of life is to be able to find happiness right where we are, at this very moment, wherever that may be. Sending you lots of love. <3 This dip is lovely and sounds really delicious.
Jodi Kay
October 30, 2015 at 12:50 pmSophie, thank you for sharing your words here. I love it. It’s exactly that. The grass is greener where you water it. And nowhere is perfect. I really appreciate you taking the time to write, sending lots of love your way too. xx