I first experienced the deliciousness that is black bean dip in California in the early 1990s. I had only recently become a vegetarian and hadn’t even realized that such things existed. In fact, I’d barely paid attention to beans before that…except to shove them to the side of my combo burrito plate at Mexican restaurants.

And like all black-bean dips, the one I found in the cooler of that hip San Francisco grocery store looked less than appetizing, but I was desperate for something other than hummus, so I gave it a whirl.

I couldn’t believe something that looked so unappetizing could be so delicious…and healthy to boot! I was hooked. And now, all these years later, I make my own on the regular. In fact, my black bean dip, refried black beans, and black bean soup are all pretty much the same recipe, but the first one’s cold, the second’s one hot, and the third’s one just the second one thinned out.

Now the one shortcoming of this delicious dip is that it can be a teeeensy bit dense, which is why I always serve it with guacamole and salsa, both of which are much lighter.

Today, in an effort to lighten my traditional black bean dip, I decided to create a combination black-bean-dip/guacamole and WOW is it ever good…and kind of light-ish!!

I will make this again in a heartbeat!

Black-Bean-Avocado Dip

Throw in the food processor and process until finely chopped:

• 1 roughly chopped small onion
• 4 cloves peeled garlic
• 1 roughly chopped jalepeno (if you like it hot, leave in the seeds)

Transfer to a saucepan and saute until the onion is translucent. Add to the pan and mix around:

• 1 TBS cumin
• 1 TBS vegetable broth powder

Once mixed, transfer back to the blender and add:

• 1 can rinsed and drained black beans
• 2 small avocados, peeled and pitted (about 6 ounces)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup lime juice (depending on the consistency you prefer)
• salt to taste (I added about 1 tsp)

Run for twenty seconds or so. Check for consistency–you’ll likely need to run it for another 10-15 seconds. The dip should not be a smooth as hummus, but no big lumps should remain. Aim for the consistency of an artichoke dip.

The result is astonishingly good–even with chopped vegetables (yeah, yeah, I had no damn tortilla chips)!

I was initially under the delusion that the dip would look a bit prettier than that first black bean dip I found in the hip San Francisco grocery in the early 90s, but alas, it remains as grey and unappealing looking as ever. Don’t let the colour fool you though!

MAKE THIS DIP NOW AND GET IT IN YOUR MOUTH!!!

And here is my pretty bouquet of sweet peas, nasturtiums, lavender, and snap dragons I picked from the deck garden–it smells divine!

And check out these crazy-looking seeds I’ve been collecting from my nasturtiums! I’m going to dry them out for next spring….if I don’t pickle and eat them in the meantime. Apparently, they’re known as “the poor man’s caper”!