Monday, October 4, 2010

Meatless Monday: Black Bean Dip & Yucca Chips




Black Bean Dip

I cooked a pot of black beans for this recipe (scroll to the bottom), but you can use canned black beans.

16 oz black beans, drained
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Place all the above ingredients in a food processor and blend 'til creamy. Garnish with cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with Yucca Chips (see below).


Yucca Chips

You need a fresh yucca root for this not frozen
oil for frying
salt and pepper

Peel your yucca. Diagonally slice your yucca with a knife into thin slices. Be careful! I wasn't going to fry my yucca right away so I let the slices sit in a bowl of water with some lime juice and salt. Heat a skillet on high with about and inch of oil (I don't really measure, but enough oil to fry chips). Pat dry your chips (if they were sitting in water) and drop them into the oil in batches. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper.















 To cook your black beans, wash a pound of dry beans in cold water and let soak overnight in enough water to cover 2 inches above the beans, (you can soak them in the pot you're going to use the next day). Now here is an old Cuban tip or is it a tip from an old Cuban? (sorry tia, I love you). Put a teaspoon of baking soda into the pot of beans and bring to a boil. The baking soda really helps to soften the beans nicely, but you will get a lot of foam which you will have to skim out – so have a bowl nearby and don't walk away from the beans at this point, or you'll have a big mess (look at the picture)! Once you've skimmed your beans, drop in 2 bays leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and about a teaspoon of salt (you can adjust the salt later). Bring the heat down to medium low, cover and let cook for about 2 hours. We are going strain 2 cups of beans for this recipe and you will have plenty leftover that you can freeze for another time to make soup or use in salads, etc.

6 comments:

  1. is yuca similar to sweet potatoes (camotes)?

    I love meatless monday!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yuca is a root but it's not sweet, it's bland like a potato but much starchier. Of course, sweet potato chips would be great as well. The sweet potato I grew up with is called boniato and it's white inside and not as sweet as the yellow one. I cannot find it here, nor can I find malanga which produces excellent chips as well.

    I'm glad you enjoy my Meatless Mondays! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's like a black bean hummus cool :) I love hummus with an assortment of fresh raw vegetables, or I spread it on halved pita bread, (the inside of it make a pocket) then stuff it with shredded roast chicken, and salad dressed in vinegar soo good :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. As a vegetarian myself, all of your Meatless recipes always look so incredibly good! This one for black bean dip and yucca chips, looks just outstanding. Thank you so much for joining the Meatless Monday Campaign! I recently started working with the Meatless Monday Campaign, which encourages Americans to eat less meat – and more vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. If you’re ever looking for new recipes and tips on meatless cooking, check out our their website (www.meatlessmonday.com).
    Many bloggers think its fun to write a weekly Meatless Monday post every Monday to help spread the word about the movement. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in? If this is something you’d like to participate in , please email me at meatlessmondayblogs@gmail.com to coordinate!

    -Sara

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am so going to make this. We love the yuca baked fries and mashed yuca, so I'm sure we'll love this. Your black bean dip looks wonderful. My plantain chips were a big hit, but they didn't last long enough for a dip...they ate 'em up! I usually have to go and buy my plantain the day I plan to make them or before I know it they are getting to ripe then I have to make a dessert out of them. :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lyndsey, I wish I could make plantain chips here, but as you know I can't find green plantains.

    I would love to know what kind of dessert you make with plantains. Have you posted it before?

    ReplyDelete