Vegetarian Black Bean Dip

As many of you know, I like to cook and I do a fair amount of it every week. I haven't heard too many complaints yet, so I like to think that I'm pretty good at it too. It was suggested that sharing some of my recipes might make for good blogging, so I'm starting a weekly (hopefully) post with a recipe and I'm calling the series:

For this week, say hello to beans! They're healthy, they're delicious, and my dad taught me a song about them:

Beans, beans, the wonderful fruit.
The more you eat, the more you toot.
The more you toot, the better you feel.
So eat some beans with every meal.

Anyway... this is a cheap and easy recipe that is also quite tasty. We've had it both as a chip-dip and as a taco filler along with some yam and other toppings. It can easily be made into a vegan dish and is, of course, gluten free.

So, you will need:

1 can beans (I used black, but any will do)
1 can Rotel tomatoes and peppers OR 1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 of a small onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Paprika, Cumin, Chili Powder, Cayenne Pepper, salt and pepper - to taste
1/4 tsp honey or other sweetener
1/2 tsp chicken style consomme (optional)
1/2 tsp olive oil
water OR stock

Begin by dicing your onion and garlic and draining the beans. If you are having tacos with yams now is a good time to put them into the oven. I slice them and top with a tiny pat of butter, then bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes.

Warm the olive oil in your stir-fry pan and add the diced onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant and slightly brown.

While the onion is cooking, mash the beans in a bowl. You can leave some of the beans whole or less mashed to add texture if you like.

Add the beans to the onions along with some water or stock. I like to add plain water and then supplement with some consomme powder. You want some liquid, but this should not be soup. Keep in mind that the beans will absorb a lot of water as you cook them, so monitor the amount and add the water slowly and throughout the cooking process.

Cook the beans for about 5 minutes, then add the Rotel or diced tomatoes. I like the flavor of the Rotel juice, so I add it too. You might want to drain regular tomatoes, though.

Mix the tomatoes into the beans, then add the spices, salt and pepper, and the small amount of honey. The sweetness will combat the acidity of the tomatoes, as Ima taught me.

At this point you should check your yams. If they are almost done and the beans are not too runny, add the cilantro. Otherwise, you can turn the heat down on the beans and let the flavors blend some more. In the last two minutes, add the cilantro and stir to combine.

When the yams are done I like to skin and cube them, but you can serve them straight from the oven too.

We like to top the tacos with avocado, yogurt, fresh tomatoes, salsa, cheese, and sliced cabbage.

Yum!

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!