Spicy Butterbean Dip

This butterbean dip is easy to put together - and versatile, too !

This is a quick and easy dip which can be whizzed up in the blender in a minute or so, and all the ingredients are probably things which you already have in your kitchen.

I like serving this on baked potatoes, spread on to hot toast or – the way I mostly serve it – as a spicy dip for crisps, melba toast or sticks of raw vegetables.

It’s a hit with the kids (just tone down the chilli !) and a great fat free alternative to ‘traditional’ dips.

(You can see a similar recipe I have for ‘Fat Free Spicy Hummus’ - made with tinned chickpeas - over here.)


Spicy Butterbean Dip

1 x 400 gm tin of Butterbeans, drained
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Garlic paste (or finely grated garlic)
Pinch of Chilli powder (or more/less to taste)
Salt to taste

Place all ingredients into a blender and quickly blend until everything is well mixed & has formed into a nice, spreadable dip. Serve on baked potatoes, spread on to hot toast or use as a dip for crisps, melba toast or sticks of raw vegetables.

The Banana Mama's

What's this coming up ahead of us on the road ?!

Why, it's the 'Banana Mama's' on their way to market, of course !

I know that these photos are a little blurry (click on the photos to enlarge them if you’d like to view them a little better) – they were taken in light rain from a moving car - but I wanted to post them anyway, to show you a typical Tanzanian scene ! The people on this vehicle were on the way to market to sell their bananas early one morning recently (and we were on a school run !) Typically it is the women (‘Mama’s’) who harvest and accompany the bananas to market – can you see one Mama hanging on to the back of the truck, and another Mama perched on top of the load ?!

Of course as we overtook the banana truck we hooted and waved and were met with waves and laughs and great big happy Tanzanian smiles all round ! It’s things like this – things which you can’t really describe but rather can feel here, which make this country what it is – the spirit, the joy – of her people.

Bananas are very important here, both as a food and as a source of income. I wrote about their importance, and a little more about banana ‘farming’ in Tanzania over here if you’d like to read it – the blog was very young at that stage & I think I only had around 2 readers then (!!) so doubt that any of you read that that post.

You can also read about our very own banana plantation & see photos of that over here. (It is visible from my office window as I sit blogging !)

If you’re feeling inspired by these banana posts, why not try some of the recipes I’ve published on the blog featuring bananas as one of the main ingredients ? There’ve been quite a few ‘banana’ recipes, but here are some of my favourites – a great breakfast recipe (especially on a lazy Sunday !) for ‘Banana Vanilla French Toast’ or – if you prefer to drink your calories ;) then how about trying my ‘Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie’ ? You could also try one of my all time favourite puddings - ‘Mariet’s Banana Caramel Pudding’.

Hope that everyone is having a great weekend - am getting into 'blogging mode' again so I’ll be back again soon !

Thanks For All The Comments .......

View from a neighbouring farm, out towards our neighbouring country of Kenya

Sunset from another spot .... I get so used to seeing the sunset from our veranda, it is nice to see it from a different angle for a change ! (P.S. Best viewed with a G & T in hand !)

Thanks, everyone for all the lovely comments on my recent two posts, and also for the great feedback on my new website/venture. I really appreciate it - and all of you !

I have been busy this weekend, didn't manage to get much blogging stuff done but hope to get back into the swing of it soon ..... have been sorting through lots of recent photo's of my 'adventures' on the farm and have lots of interesting things to post about ..... finally introducing you to our askari (guard) Simon & his dog Pasta ... errrr .... Buster .... and another new staff member who has joined us ..... a tree felling project that could have ended in disaster *gasp* ..... update on our pets and village stray feeding 'project' ..... new farm equipment which has arrived from a far flung land (Holland !) ..... banana Mama's and school trips ...... and a few recipes too, of course !

In the meantime (as I'm getting ready for a big trip to the city tomorrow & flat out busy with preparing for that) .... I'll leave you with the two scenic photo's above - taken from a neighbouring farm at sunset just last weekend .... which gives you a slightly different 'feel' for this beautiful part of the country which we live in ....

Back soon ;)