Mid-July and my basil plants are finally gettin jiggy wit it, and needed to be pinched off so they will branch and I’ll get even more basilic deliciousness:

The insects get their due, but no one will notice once it’s blizzed up:

I love bean dip, a healthier (and to my mind, tastier) alternative to sour cream-based dips. This is a “non-recipe,” by which I mean it is just a guideline, and can be endlessly modified and substitutions made according to your want. This is what I made, with suggestions:

Ingredients:

• 2 C. soaked, cooked, and mashed lima beans (you can substitute any kind of cooked beans, but I like white beans like cannellini or limas. Dried lima beans are a complete PITA because their skins are really tough, so after they’re soaked, you have to remove them one by one.)

• 1/2 C. finely chopped onion, OR 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 C. olive oil
• Grated rind of 1 lemon (substitute: no grated lemon rind)
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (substitute: 2 tsps. lime juice)
• 1/2 C. basil leaves (substitute: the same quantity of any fresh herbs that you like)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 or 3 rashers/strips bacon, chopped and fried for 3-4 minutes over medium heat or until crispy. This will make it no longer vegetarian. You can make it less unhealthy by draining the fried bacon on kitchen/paper towels, but I just bung the whole thing in for additional porky pleasure (reserving a bit for garnish):

Method:

Blend together 1/4 C. olive oil, the garlic cloves if using (if onions, stir them in in the next step), the salt, the lemon rind and juice, and the basil (reserving a bit for garnish).

Stir everything together until well blended.

Add a bit of basil and bacon as a garnish, and service with tortilla chips or vegetable sticks.

Yum!

-R