Spicy Cilantro Black Bean Hummus

Today I present the next installment of my Laudable Legumes series with a feature on black beans. In 1/4c dry, you can find 7g protein, 9g fiber, and 15% of your daily value of iron. As if this isn't enough, black beans are complete source of protein, meaning that they have sufficient amounts of all 9 essential amino acids. (If you're new to the blog, I explain what an essential amino acid is here.) Black beans are also a good source of folate (vitamin B6), thiamin (vitamin B1), magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, copper, and manganese. Additionally, beans are amazing at stabilizing blood glucose levels, which explains why I haven't had any hypoglycemic episodes since I became vegetarian!

Today's recipe is a favorite of mine and makes a great high protein snack when generously smeared on a tortilla chip. It's far superior to store bought black bean dip-- I add no salt or oil and if you use dried black beans, you can make a whole bowl for about $0.50! In fact, I like it so much that the picture is just of one chip... because I ate the rest of the batch before I had a chance to take a picture of in the bowl! This black bean hummus can also make a great base to a sandwich topped with avocado, tomato, and spinach. That recipe will be shared in due time...

Spicy Cilantro Black Bean Hummus

1c dried black beans (or one can)
3T sriracha chili sauce
1/2T garlic
1T dried cilantro (or fresh if you really want to make it potent!)
1t apple cider vinegar (this will help it keep in the fridge longer)

Wash black beans, then cook in crock pot for 8- 9 hours on low covered with ample water. Drain and thoroughly rinse beans. Transfer all ingredients to food processor and food process until a hummus consistency is achieved. If you black beans are a bit dry to begin with, you may need to add some water  to get the texture right.

PS. I remade it and restrained myself and some hungry friends from eating it until after I took a photo :)