Like most of my recipes, the ingredients all come from what I happen to have on hand when inspiration hits me. This recipe is far from perfected, but shows a good example of using a recipe from one culture and applying ingredients from another.
I was in the mood for something like hummus but happened to have some fresh salsa on hand. I decided to make something that would go along with the salsa and chips (which I didn’t have, but created below.)
Mexican Hummus Dip
- 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed well
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped coarsely
- 1 lime, juiced and strained
- 1t mexican oregano
- 1/4t cayenne pepper
- 1/2t cumin
- 2T olive oil
- 4T water
- salt and pepper to taste
Put all the ingredients in the food processor, except for the water. Blend until smooth with enough water to make a nice paste.
You might think this just looks like bean dip. It is similar, but the lime really adds a citrusy kick that you don’t get from ordinary bean dip. After the tart lime kick fades, the cayenne comes in and spices things up. I wouldn’t serve this hot because of the lime. This is something you can, instead, serve cold with chips. Speaking of chips, I didn’t have any, so I cut up some old brown rice tortillas I had in the fridge, sprayed them with non-stick spray and put them in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes. They were suprisingly good for having much less fat that regular chips.
Now, this recipe is far from perfect. If I were to make it again, I might substitute a fresh jalapeno for the cayenne and might add some fresh chopped cilantro into the mix and then sprinkle some on top when serving. Again, I try to make use of what I have on hand instead of running out and spending $$$ on more ingredients. If you make this or a variation, let me know by posting a comment. Enjoy!