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Marinated Beans with Whipped Feta

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Effortless, flavourful, and a little fancy.
This is one of those dishes that feels like you’ve put in way more effort than you actually did… The marinated beans are easy: no firm recipe. Just good olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, flaky salt, and whatever extras you’ve got on hand—garlic, herbs, chili flakes? Go for it.
The whipped feta is…creamy, tangy, and delightful. Pile it all onto some crusty bread or serve with your favourite veggies. This snack or appetizer feels way more sophisticated than it is.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Ingredients

Marinated Beans:

(quantities are a guide / adjust to your taste)

  • 2 cans beans of your choice: white kidney, cannellini, butter or lima, rinsed and dried
  • To taste extra-virgin olive oil
  • To taste Maldon Flakey or Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Pinch ground cumin
  • To taste lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • To taste fresh mint, fresh parsley and/or fresh chives, finely chopped
  • To taste coarsely ground or cracked pepper & more herbs, to garnish

Whipped Feta:

  • 1 ½ cup Feta cheese, (I like Krinos)
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup greek yogurt
  • 1/2 lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/4 cup water, as needed to be creamy but not too loose

Instructions

  • Rinse canned beans well in a colander. Lay on paper towels & pat dry.
  • Place beans in a bowl and add a generous amount of olive oil. Add some salt, spices, herbs and lemon zest/juice. Taste and adjust to your liking.
  • Next add all the ingredients for the feta purée to a small food processor EXCEPT the water.
  • Pulse to break it down.
  • Add water a bit at a time until you reach the desired consistency. It should be smoother than hummus but not too liquid.

Ready to Serve:

  • On a large dinner plate, spoon on your feta mixture with the back of a spoon. Spread on the beans in a heap, in the center or off to the side.
  • Garnish with more herbs, cracked pepper and paprika and finally a drizzle of olive oil. A touch of honey adds deliciousness !
  • Spoon onto thick cucumber slices or pita or a nice crunchy sourdough and enjoyyyy!

Notes

  • Marinated Beans: they need to be tasty and glistening with olive oil so add more as desired. The more fresh herbs, the better!  When it tastes amazing, set it aside :)
  • You can use 1 can of beans for 2-3 people. However, if it’s to serve for more people as an appetizer, use 2 cans.