Black bean dip recipe

This black bean dip recipe yields a thick, spicy party appetizer. It's fast and easy, hearty enough for winter and, because there's no heating or cooking involved, it's cool enough for summer. (You can eat it at room temperature or chilled.)

Black bean dip is obviously meant to accompany a giant bowl of tortilla chips and other Mexican fare. But you can also eat it with baby carrots, strips of fresh red or yellow bell peppers or chunky ribs of celery. For an easy, light sampling of hors d'oeuvres, set out this spicy black bean dip with a green salad, a pretty plate of fresh fruit and some shrimp cocktail. (Beer or margaritas can't hurt, either, but they lack the protein and fiber of the dip. Sorry.)

I came across this oh-so-easy black bean dip recipe in the dead of winter in a magazine -- I think it was "Prevention," though I may be wrong -- and scribbled it down on an index card, unfortunately without noting the source. I've whipped up batches of this black bean dip on short notice ever since, whenever I have the black beans on hand and the right craving.

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, drained (or 2 cups of dried beans you've already soaked and cooked yourself, which is cheaper and eliminates a lot of salt)
• 1 can chili peppers, drained (or use chopped jarred jalapenos, to taste)
• 1/3 cup salsa, storebought or homemade (the spiciness of the salsa and the number of chili peppers you use determine the heat level of the finished dip, so use mild salsa if you don't want too much fire)
• 2 tsps. cumin
• 1 tsp. raw garlic, pressed (optional)
• Juice freshly squeezed from one large lime or two small ones (do not use bottled lime juice)

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse repeatedly until the dip becomes a mostly smooth puree. A few bean-y lumps are OK. This recipe produces roughly three cups of dip. Scrape it into a serving bowl. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro or a handful of grated cheddar cheese. 

My notes with the recipe explain that this black bean dip recipe yields 12 servings, each with only 14 calories, a trace of fat, 1 gram of protein and 58 mg of sodium. To reduce the sodium content, rely on home-cooked beans and homemade salsa. The recipe didn't include details on the dip's fiber content. However, according to the USDA, 1/4 cup of cooked black beans has more than 4 grams of fiber. I wasn't a math major, but if each serving of this dip is roughly 1/4 cup, and much of that volume comes from the bulk of the beans, it's safe to guess that you'll get at least 2 to 3 grams of fiber from each serving of this dip. It's nice to know this is a party nosh with nutrition.

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