A Thought For Food

I've never had much of a desire to make black bean dip. If I'm going the bean route, it's going to be hummus. Rich and creamy hummus. I haven't met one that I didn't like. However, my views on this have recently changed and I have Bon Appetit to thank for that. Driving down to New Jersey for Thanksgiving, I started flipping through the pages of the November issue and I came across a little piece about ways to improve on bean dips. And there were some suggestions I'd never thought of... like adding a drizzle of maple syrup on top. So, before the big feast I served a white bean dip with maple. And it was a HUGE hit. Never again would I make one without the inclusion of something sweet.

I started thinking about what else I could do. I thought about the often forgotten black bean dip and how I could spruce it up. In my mind, I began to build the bowl. The dark puree on the bottom contrasted with some tangy yogurt. Some maple and pomegranates. And a sprinkle of parsley to finish it off.

SWEETENED BLACK BEAN DIP WITH YOGURT AND POMEGRANATE

SOURCE
Inspired by the November 2016 issue of Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS
1, 16 oz can black beans, drained of liquid and beans rinsed
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
Salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Pita chips

DIRECTIONS
Using a food processor, puree the black beans, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, 1/4 teaspoon salt and cumin. With the machine running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of water to thin out the dip. Puree until smooth.

Transfer black bean mixture to a serving bowl. Make a well in the center of the black bean mixture and scoop in yogurt. Drizzle maple syrup on top. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top, followed by chopped parsley.

Serve with pita chips.