Sunday, January 27, 2013

Black Bean Hummus

I found that I had too many cans of beans. I like beans--don't get me wrong. But it appears that for a while, each trip to the store resulted in two more cans showing up in my pantry. I must have thought that I didn't have any at the house. Or maybe I am just getting old and forgetful. In any case, I decided I need to do something with them.

I have been experimenting with chickpea hummus recipes but have not found one yet that I like that gives me the nice smooth texture I can get at the store. If I do I will certainly post it here. But I thought that I could probably do something similar with black beans. This one you can control the texture with the amount of processing you do, but I think it will always be a bit chunky.

I love the smoky taste of chipotle and think it works great with black beans. I usually keep single peppers with adobo on the freezer (take them out of the can and freeze them in ice cube trays then store in ziptop bags) so I nearly always have them on hand. Ground chipotle can be a good substitute (you can get from Penzey's), or regular chile powder could work but would taste a bit different.

This is very good on top of eggs for a twist on huevos rancheros. The yogurt adds a nice creaminess to it. The Greek style is not mandatory, but the firmness of it will keep the mixture from being too runny. You could certainly also leave that out if you would like. Or maybe silken tofu could work. I bet you could also cream avocado in the mix, but I have not tried that.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Hummus

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 T.  olive oil
1  lime, juiced
1/4 c.  salsa
1/4 c.  Greek style yogurt
1 clove garlic smashed or finely chopped
1/4 onion chopped (red or sweet work well for this)
2  chipotles chopped (or 2 t. ground chipotle)
1 tsp. adobo sauce if using canned chipotle
        (or leave out if using ground chipotle)
2 t.  cumin
1 t.  kosher salt
1 t.  oregano
1 t.  dried cilantro (or use 1 T. fresh chopped if you have it)

Put it all in a food processor and whir until smooth. Put in the fridge for 30-60 minutes for the best flavors to develop. Serve with chips, veggies, pita crisps, or crackers. Top with fresh chopped cilantro or chopped avocado.