I love to create new dips.  It is always a fun challenge to look in the fridge and pantry and see what I can come up with.  Thanks to food processors, dips are easy to whip up at the last minute if you are headed somewhere and need to take an appetizer.  Just keep a variety of canned beans on hand and some pita chips, crackers or tortilla chips and you’re sure to be able to put together a great little app!  This dip is a simple twist on regular hummus because it includes black beans and all sorts of Mexican spices.   Play around with the ingredients to highlight the flavors you love most.

Spicy Black Bean Hummus (makes plenty to accompany two bags of crackers, pita chips or  a bunch of cut up vegetables)

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup salsa (any flavor or variety — I used Archer Farms Roasted Tomato and Chipotle)

3/4 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream

juice of one lime

1 tsp hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot)

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

handful of cilantro

Directions:

Put all ingredients (except cilantro) in food processor and puree until smooth.  I have a 3 cup Cuisinart food processor that is not huge so I blended my dip in two batches and then blended them together.  Add cilantro at the end and blend it in the pulse mode until mixed in.  If it seems too thick, drizzle in a little olive oil or more yogurt.  Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, cut up vegetables (red peppers are great with it).