Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Black Bean Dip- a Crowd Pleaser

I never used to like black bean dip. In fact, I never liked black beans. Not sure why- maybe their color turned me off. I didn't start eating them until about 2 years ago. Ever since then we have added them into several dishes- enchiladas, tacos, chili- to name a few. I got the idea to make my own black bean dip after having some at a Micro Brewery in Kill Devil Hills, NC a few years ago. I figured it really could not be that hard so I threw a few things in a food processor along with the beans, and what came out was pretty good. Since then I have played with this recipe and I am really happy with the way it's turned out. I needed a quick, easy, dairy free dip for the party we had on Saturday, and this fit perfectly! It takes about 10 minutes to make.

Ingredients:
2 can black beans
salsa of your choice
1 jalapeno
handful fresh cilantro
juice of half a ripe lime


Spices:
Cayenne pepper
Chipotle Chili Powder
Cumin
I added about 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and a tablespoon cumin. Adjust the spices to your personal taste. It's definitely not an exact recipe.


Directions:
*Everything is to taste with this recipe.*
1.Drain but do not rinse the black beans and pour them into a sauce pan. Add about 1/4 cup of salsa (more or less depending on your taste). Add the cumin, cayenne pepper, and chipotle chili powder. Stir well. Heat over medium heat until heated through.

(Sorry about the picture-I can't get it to turn. Any thoughts on this?)

2.Pour bean mixture into a food processor.



Add the rough chopped 1/2 jalapeno (If you want it spicy add the seeds too, but to cut back on spice remove the seeds) and a handful of fresh cilantro. Blend until it becomes smooth and there are no large pieces left.


3. Add some fresh squeezed lime juice- I use half a lime- you don't want too much otherwise the dip will become watery. Give it another quick spin to mix in the juice.


4. Can be served hot or cold. We love it both ways.

Due to the lighting in my kitchen at night, I had a hard time getting a good picture of this. These are the best I could do:



It was definitely a crowd pleaser- the bowl was scraped clean at the party!

1 comment:

  1. For those of you wondering if a kid would like this...my child LICKED her plate clean, literally.

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