Spicy White Bean-Tomato Pate
A great starter, served with whole grain toast points or crackers, this is also great at a picnic or any other outdoor celebration.
Mound it in a bowl and serve it with delicious whole grain bread.

What You'll Need
Extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 red onion, finely diced
Sea salt
Generous pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans
1/3 cup oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes, diced
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Generous pinch dried basil
2-3 leaves Romaine lettuce, washed well, left whole
1 sprig fresh parsley, finely minced

Instructions
Place a small amount of oil, garlic and onion in a deep skillet and turn heat to medium.
When the onions begin to sizzle, add a pinch of salt and the red pepper flakes and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add beans, tomatoes and lemon zest, season to taste with salt and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes.

Transfer bean mixture to a food processor.
Add lemon juice and dried basil and puree until smooth.
If the mixture is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or water to loosen.
Note that olive oil will create a much richer pate than the water.

To serve, lay lettuce leaves around the rim of a platter.
Mound pate in the center and sprinkle with parsley.
You may also press the pate into a shallow bowl for a more casual presentation.
Serve with crackers, pita or toast points. Makes 2-3 cups pate   

Note: Use canned organic beans in place of cooking them from scratch. Eden canned organic beans are my favorites.

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