Chipotle Black Bean Dip

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

Tonight's dish was bean dip gone gourmet. We weren't particularly hungry for a big meal so I decided to make a healthy snack that would stick to our ribs. This Chipotle Black Bean Dip fit the bill. The healthy part was the black beans and the gourmet part was the coriander, cumin and chipotle. I will move right ahead into the recipe so it can speak for itself.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 TBSP Canola Oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced green/spring onions, including green tops

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

2 tsp diced canned chipotle chiles

2 tsp kosher or sea salt

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP minced cilantro leaves

In a 10-inch nonstick saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, ground coriander and cumin. Saute, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, about 2 minutes. Add beans and water. Simmer until water evaporates, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process bean mixture until coarsely mashed. Add lime juice, chipotle chiles and salt. Process until smooth and pureed. Add sour cream and 1/2 cup cilantro. Pulse just until cilantro is incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve immediately.

Baked tortilla chips or baked pita chips were recommended as the dipping vessels for this recipe. I chose to serve my dip with organic no-salt blue corn tortilla chips which worked perfectly. The dip was tasty but Brad and I both thought it would be more balanced with less lime juice. The recipe really only needed 1/8 cup instead of 1/4 cup. I ended up adding 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt to balance the over-acidity. This solution was a shot in the dark but it worked. Or, maybe it wasn't a shot in the dark. Maybe I am finally starting to understand how to tweak flavors when they aren't quite right. If so, this is leaps and bounds from where I started in January.

The chipotle component was my favorite part of the bean dip. I used a dried chipotle pepper that I reconstituted (basically soaked the dried pepper in warm water to bring it back to life) and it worked out perfectly. The chipotle added an element of smokiness without being overpowering. All in all, this was a good dish. I would prepare it in the future, with the lime juice tweak, as an hors d'oeuvre for a latin inspired meal or as a light snack.