Black Bean Hummus: variations on a theme

Is Black Bean Hummus something you ever think about making?  If not, maybe you should - like all hummuses and hummus-like things, it's ridiculously easy (even easier than most regular hummuses, since rather than putting everything but the olive oil in the food processor first, and then drizzling in the oil as a second step, this recipe just throws everything all in at once).  But not only is it easy, it has some fantastic crossover potential.

Hummus is good as a dip.  Everyone knows that.  Plenty of people also, like me, will put it in a sandwich as a spread - I tend to try throwing every new hummus that I make into a grilled cheese, although this one I didn't save enough for myself to try that, this time.  It would've been fantastic, I promise.  This also has a third really good application.  At the lovely food blog Simply Life, there's a recipe for huevos rancheros with a black bean paste (which is what that link goes to). I made that, replacing the paste with this hummus (and also swapping a plain jalapeno for a chipotle, in the tomato sauce, as I nearly always do wherever a jalapeno is called for), and that was a big success!  I not only recommend giving that a try, but I also recommend reading Simply Life - she has delicious recipes, thought-provoking posts, and occasional giveaways which I have never won. Perhaps you'll be the lucky one!

 

Sticking out of it there?  That's a homemade tortilla chip.  I mentioned making these in the last recipe, for the Corn Chili, but in case you were wondering how to make them:

• Cut up some corn tortillas (I used the taco-sized kind)
• Heat some canola oil in a deep pot - not a lot, a couple tablespoons is fine
• When it's hot, throw a few slices of tortilla in.  You don't want to crowd the pot, they'll lower the temperature of the oil and the chips won't get as crispy and will take longer to cook.  Do it in batches.
• Flip when they get golden on one side and cook until they're golden on the other.
• Drain on paper towels.

So there you go!  You've got tortilla chips, you've got Black Bean Hummus, you've got (I assume) a good book to read or an old movie on your DVR to watch, to what better use could you put your day?