Black Bean Dip

Hello, everyone! WOOF, it's been a while! Please forgive me for the lengthy hiatus. I've been enjoying my free time since graduation last spring, and while I've been cooking up a STORM, I haven't gotten around to blogging until now!

I recently returned from my best friend's wedding in Costa Rica, which was absolute paradise! I surfed, danced, ate delicious Costa Rican food, and best of all, spent time with some of my best friends and celebrated the happy couple.

Check out #SJKTravels on social media for more pictures of my trip!

The thing about Costa Rican food that stuck out the most to me was the freshness. Fresh ingredients were combined together in simple ways and the true flavors of the ingredients shined. We ate lots of fish, chicken, rice and beans, veggies, and fruit, which might sound kind of boring, but when those foods are of high quality, the dishes are very satisfying and light! I can't help but notice how the Costa Rican cuisine echoes the national saying, "Pura vida," which simply translates to "pure life" but takes on many joyful and thankful meanings!

One dish I had that I'd never tasted before was a pureed black bean dip at Green Papaya Taco Bar in Tamarindo. It was served alongside guacamole, a spicy pepper dip, and tortilla chips, and I could have made a whole meal out of that appetizer! It was smooth, savory, light, and PURPLE!

What follows is my attempt at recreating this black bean dip! I kept the ingredients simple (as seemed to be the trend in Costa Rica). While I think I nailed the texture and flavor, my version is not nearly as beautiful as the original :( The red onion and bell pepper weren't enough to enhance the purple tone of the black beans, but damn if it isn't delicious!

The original was free of garnishes, but I love swirling a dollop of sour cream in the mix. If you're a cilantro fan, that's excellent on top as well. My lunch today consisted of avocado toast with sliced tomato and a side of chips and this black bean dip, a meal I highly recommend!

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Black Bean Dip

by Saucy Jocey's Kitchen March-13-2016

Costa Rican-inspired Black Bean Dip is smooth, savory, and light!

Ingredients

• 1/2 red onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 30 oz canned black beans
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• Juice of a lime
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Optional: sour cream and cilantro

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.2. Chop 1/2 onion and the bell pepper in 1 - 2 inch chunks. Toss with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper on a baking sheet.3. Roast onions and bell pepper at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes.4. While the onions and peppers are roasting, drain and rinse the canned black beans. Peel the garlic clove and juice the lime.5. When the roasting is complete, blend all (non-optional) ingredients in a food processor until smooth. You may have to scrape down the sides and re-blend a few times.6. Serve with tortilla chips. Swirl a dollop of sour cream on top and sprinkle with cilantro if desired. Enjoy!

Details

Prep time: Cook time: Total time: 15 mins Yield: 2.5 cups

1. - 2. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Chop the 1/2 onion and red bell pepper in large chunks and toss with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper.

3. Roast at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Prepare for your house to smell savory and heavenly.

4. While the veggies roast, drain and rinse the black beans, peel the clove of garlic, and juice the lime.

5. a. When roasting is complete, add everything (except the sour cream and cilantro) to the food processor and blend!

5. b. You may have to scrape down the sides and re-blend a few times in order to get the dip completely smooth.

5. c. The final result should be smooth with very few chunks left in it!

7. Serve with tortilla chips! Swirl in some sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro if you'd like. The final result has a fresh, savory taste to it with a little hint of sweetness from the roasted onion and bell pepper. It's both filling and light at the same time! I have a sneaking suspicion that this dip smeared on a tortilla would make any taco better. Challenge accepted!

P.S. Isn't this little turtle cute?! It's a whistle and the favor from the wedding, which I think I will make into an ornament.

Quinoa Tuna and White Bean Salad

If you're looking for a simple, healthy, and protein-packed lunch, this is it my friends! I'm obsessed with the Tuna and White Bean Salad recipe from Budget Bytes. It's ridiculously easy, light, and filling! I was in the mood to experiment with quinoa and I thought it would make a great addition to the recipe. Shredded carrots and broccoli slaw add some crunch for a nice texture variation, plus you work in some veggies! The lemon juice perfectly balances the richness of the beans and tuna. We all know fish + citrus is a winning combination. Throw is all together and you've got the perfect lunch!

Quinoa Tuna and White Bean Salad

Makes 3 cups

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

5 oz solid white albacore tuna in water

15 oz Great Northern beans (but any white bean will do)

1/3 cup dry quinoa (plus 2/3 cup water for cooking)

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup broccoli slaw

2 green onions

1 lemon

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Thoroughly rinse and drain quinoa in a mesh strainer.

2. Bring quinoa and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until all water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.

3. Drain tuna.

4. Drain and rinse white beans.

5. Juice half of the lemon and discard seeds.

6. Slice the green onions.

7. When the quinoa is done cooking spread it on a plate and allow to cool in the refrigerator for a few minutes (This is a cold salad. If you cooked the quinoa ahead of time, skip this step!)

8. Mix tuna, beans, quinoa, carrots, broccoli slaw, green onions, lemon juice, and olive oil together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Step-by-step Photos 

1. Thoroughly rinse and drain the quinoa. I hope you all have a larger mesh strainer than I do :( It took a few rounds to rinse all the quinoa! I'm adding a large mesh strainer to my shopping list...

2. Bring quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until all of the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.

3. Drain the tuna. 4. Rinse and drain the white beans. Any white beans will do, but I used Great Northern beans!

5. Juice half of the lemon and discard seeds. Use the other half of the lemon for whatever you please :) This citrus juicer belonged to my Grandma Mary. It's very special to me. My mom gave it to me at my bridal shower and I proceeded to cry like a baby.

6. Slice the green onions. I think it's prettiest if you slice them on a diagonal!

7. Cooking the quinoa ahead of time is ideal, that way it has time to cool. But if you can't cook it ahead of time, just spread it out on a plate (so it cools faster) and put the plate in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. It cools pretty quickly. I suppose you could eat this as a warm salad if you want, but I like it cold and crisp.

8 a. Mix it all together! I found the shredded carrots and broccoli slaw in pre-prepared bags in the produce section. So. Easy.

8 b. Add salt and pepper to taste. Freshly cracked is the best, but any ol' salt and pepper will work of course. This salad can hold up to a good amount of salt because of the tuna. Just add a little and give it a taste test, and add more if you need to!

I hope you all enjoy this salad! The olive oil and lemon dressing makes it perfect for summertime - so bright and fresh. The tuna, white beans, and quinoa pack a protein punch, and you get a lovely crunch from the carrots and broccoli! 

White Chili

There's something about a big bowl of chili that warms your soul (and your hands holding the bowl) on a cold fall or winter day. That's all I want when it's cold outside really - soup! I love me some classic chili w/ beef and a tomato base, but I decided to try something a little different for this recipe. The hearty veggies and beans are all still there, but beef is swapped for chicken and the broth is chicken stock and heavy cream (YUM). The cream gives this a wonderful richness that you wouldn't normally expect for chili, but if you're being health conscious, you could skip it I suppose.  And did I mention this recipe is SO simple? Cozy up on the couch with a throw blanket and a big bowl of White Chili and prepare for comfort.

Featured in La Petite Fashionista Magazine!

White Chili

Makes 4 servings

Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients  (( Healthier Ingredient Substitutions ))

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 orange bell pepper

1 white onion

8 3/4 oz corn

31.6 oz great northern beans

9 oz chopped green chiles

32 oz unsalted chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream   (( skip the cream ))

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp butter   (( 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil ))

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp black pepper

Salt to taste

1. Dice onion and bell pepper. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pot. Sauté diced onion and bell pepper for 2 minutes. Mince garlic and add to pot, sautéing for another minute.

2. Add chicken broth, heavy cream, corn, beans, chiles, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, and salt to the pot and turn heat to high. When the soup comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and simmer uncovered for an hour, stirring occasionally. Enjoy!

Chop the pepper and onion and mince the garlic! The rest of the veggies are canned, so no prep required!

Shred two fully cooked chicken breasts. Using a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is a fantastic shortcut here!

Saute the chopped onion and pepper in butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.

Add all other ingredients besides the heavy cream and turn the heat to high. When the chili comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour. Please ignore the amount of liquid in this picture - I've edited the recipe slightly since these pictures were taken!

Mmmm the luscious creamy goodness. This recipe is so hearty and the cream adds a rich element to the broth.

Loaded with hearty veggies and shredded chicken, this chili is definitely satisfying. And you know what I think would make it even better? Some cornbread. MMM! Definitely serving it with a side of cornbread in the future!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Do roasted garlic scented candles exist? They should. My house smelled absolutely DIVINE when I was roasting the garlic for the recipe. It uses a whole head of garlic! Mmmm :) Yup, garlic makes me smile. OK, enough gushing. I've made a lot of hummus lately! It's incredibly easy - the hardest part of this recipe is cutting the head of garlic in half. I had no trouble finding tahini (a sesame seed paste) in my grocery store. Once you have a container of tahini in your fridge, just buy canned chick peas whenever you want hummus! Of course hummus as a dip is a delicious snack, but I also like spreading it on sandwiches or Pita Melts instead of other condiments! This dish has such a rich flavor from the roasted garlic, and it's healthy! Yum.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Inactive time: 45 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas (15 oz)

1 head of garlic

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (+ more for drizzling)

1 Tbsp tahini

1/2 cup water

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1. Peel off the first few layers of skin and cut the top half off of the head of garlic. Drizzle exposed cloves with 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes at 400 degrees F.

2. Let the head of garlic cool for 5 minutes. Squeeze the cloves out of the skin and into the food processor. Drain the liquid from the can of chickpeas and add all ingredients to the food processor. 

3. Blend until smooth (this might require scraping down the sides and blending a few times). Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with pitas or crackers or spread on a sandwich or pita melt. Enjoy!

Yes that's right, a WHOLE head of garlic goes into this hummus. Don't be scared though! The roasting mellows out the strong raw garlic flavor. Roasted garlic is much more mild and rich. Mmmmm

Drizzle the cloves with a Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees F. One of my favorite cooking fragrances that fills the house, right up there with chocolate chip cookies, is roasted garlic. Mmm garlic <3

 The cloves will get sweeter and soft and mild. That's why the whole head of garlic isn't overwhelming in this recipe - the roasting. The difference in flavor before and after is amazing. I love some raw garlic in my life too, but for this recipe, roasting is the way to go.

Drain the chick peas and throw everything in the food processor! The garlic cloves can be squeezed right out of the skin. You might need to scrape the sides of the food processor down and blend a few times to get it smooth. 

I'm sure I've gushed about how much I love garlic enough, but I can't help it. It's the Greek side of me. But trust me when I say this hummus is amazing. Serve with pitas or crackers or spread it on your favorite sandwich, wrap, or melt. So healthy and so tasty!