Harvest Glow White Bean Spread with Herby Roasted Squash and Carrots

Audrey Locy, BS, INHC

The holiday season is always full of love, family, friends, and lots of amazing food! For those that eat a whole-food, plant-based diet, it’s fun to bring delicious options to gatherings for everyone to enjoy! You not only showcase beautiful plant foods, but you offer a dish that is nutrient packed. This recipe does just that! 

On top of a bed of smooth, protein packed white bean spread is herby, roasted delicata squash, carrots, and pumpkin seeds. It looks like autumn and tastes like autumn! 

The white bean spread is chocked full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and satiating protein. It’s seasoned with roasted garlic, rosemary, sage, and has an extra kick of healthy fats from tahini and olive oil. It’s the perfect base for any roasted vegetable! Or you can make it solo and serve as a dip instead! 

The delicata squash and carrots are roasted with fresh rosemary to bring out the natural earthiness of the vegetables. The carrots are rich in beta-carotene, Vitamin K1, and potassium, which assist in eye health, bone health, and regulating blood pressure. Delicata squash is an heirloom variety of squash, meaning they’re beautiful but also very high in nutrients. They contain good amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, and Calcium, thus assisting in eye health, immunity, blood health, and bone health. These two vegetables together create a powerhouse of health benefits for your body! Top them off with some roasted pumpkin seeds and you have a dose of Omega-3s in the mix as well, helping lower inflammation! 

This dish will make everyone at the dinner table happy and feel amazing! Enjoy your holiday season this year and may you be healthy and joyous!!

Ingredients

White bean spread:

• 2 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed (great northern, navy, butter, or cannellini) 
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 bulb garlic
• ¼ cup tahini
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp rosemary, fresh
• ¼ tsp sage, dried
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

Roasted vegetables:

• 2 delicata squash
• 6-8 carrots
• 1 Tbsp rosemary, fresh and minced
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil 
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, roasted

Make it Happen: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut off the top of a bulb of garlic and wrap in a piece of foil. Place in the oven and bake for 30 min. 
3. Deseed and slice the delicata squash into half moons and cut the carrots into long spears. 
4. Place vegetables on a sheet tray and coat in coconut oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Bake for 30 minutes, or until slightly charred. 
5. While those are cooking, drain and rinse your beans and place into a food processor. 
6. Add in all the other ingredients into the food processor while you wait for the garlic to finish roasting. 
7. Once the garlic is done, squeeze all the roasted cloves into the food processor and blend until smooth. 
8. Spread the white bean dip onto a serving tray and then top with the roasted squash, carrots, roasted pumpkin seeds, and some more fresh rosemary. Enjoy!