Black Bean Hummus

Let me just start by saying that I hate hummus. Hate it! Why? I have no idea. But I've never had a hummus that I liked. At least, not one made with garbonzo beans.

This one is not made with garbonzo beans; it's made with black beans. I love black beans. Doubtless God could have made a better bean, but doubtless he never did. For those of you taking notes, this recipe is based on a traditional hummus recipe. I only made two changes: black beans instead of garbonzo beans, and lime instead of lemon. Somehow, those two changes alone change this from a middle-eastern dish to a southwestern American one.

Start with a 14oz can of black beans. Simmer until fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, rinse and cool. Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup tahini, 1 clove of garlic, the juice of two limes and half a lemon (I ran out of limes, so sue me) and a pinch of Kosher salt. Now, that would have been okay by itself, but I couldn't let well enough be. So I added a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a few grinds of black pepper and a couple of sprigs of cilantro. Okay, so I lied about only making two changes. I also meant to add 1/4 teaspoon of cumin but I forgot. You can do that on your own if you want. Process in a food processor, or if you're like me, do it with an immersion blender.

Now, I know you traditionally serve hummus with things like pita bread or pita chips, but hey, screw tradition. I serve with blue corn chips. Now, this tahini stuff, you may not be all familiar with that. In fact, I wish I was more familiar with it. I've only ever seen it in hummus recipes. What is it? It's sesame paste. It's just like peanut butter, but with sesame seeds. I talked to a couple of friends that have visited the middle-east, and they tells me it's used as kind of a dressing. You put it on falafel or any number of different street foods. Or you can make a sandwich with it like you would with peanut butter. Yeah, I don't know how I'd like that. Let me know if you try it.