Western Smokin’ Black Bean Dip

Organic/natural tastes best.

Serves as many as you think, but maybe make a little more.
This is a palate pleaser.

The smokiness sets your taste buds up just enough to keep you reaching for more.
Makes about 4 cups

You’ll need:

6-8 Turkey bacon strips
1 Tablespoon light olive oil
1 Medium red onion, minced
1 Small red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
1 /2 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 /2 teaspoon Dried oregano
2 15-oz. cans black beans, undrained
1 teaspoon chopped seeded canned Chipotle chilies*
or to taste
1 Cup sour cream
1/2+ Cup chopped fresh Cilantro (I love cilantro so I use a lot.)
You can also add some cilantro while cooking beans. Use some as added flavor at end and in the preparation.
Salt and pepper to taste

*Chipotle chilies, canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available in Latin American markets and Latin American sections of supermarkets.

To prepare:

Cook turkey bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 3-4+ minutes. Drain and coarsely chop. Set aside. Add olive oil to same skillet. Add onion and bell pepper, sauté until onion is soft, about 6 minutes scraping up bacon bits. Add cumin and oregano: sauté 1 minute. Add beans with their liquid and chipotles. Simmer over medium low heat until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Transfer 1 cup bean mixture to blender or processor. Blend until smooth. Stir into remaining bean mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Cover and chill 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead, but chill bacon separately.) Chop and add bacon to bean mixture before serving.

Stir cilantro into dip and serve chilled or at room temperature. Top with sour cream or serve sour cream on the side. Dip your choice of chips, but my preferences are toasted tortillas cut or broken into chips sizes and the same for pita chips done the same way. Deeelightful!

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ABOUT: Wellness Chef Helen Sandler
Lecturer, personal chef, teacher, wellness coach, & speaker, Helen promotes a healthier lifestyle through common sense, organic / natural approach to a happier, positive life.

Helen Sandler is used to being an innovator and at the cutting edge of whole foods whole grains awareness. After graduating from SUNY, New York with a teaching degree, she began to follow her real passion for healthy cooking which took her from Los Angeles to Boston to attend the cooking school of the late and great master Japanese natural chef, Aveline Kushi. Later that passion took her to Kyoto, Japan to continue her studies, where she spent four more years learning the art of healthy Japanese cooking (Seishoku).

As Wellnes Chef Helen she is the featured authority at CTNgreen /wellness with articles in the library there and the virtual paperless magazine at CTNGreen Magazine



970-618-0731
helskitchen@gmail.com