“Beans beans good for your heart the more you eat the more you fart…”
Anyone else used to sing this rhyme in elementary school? Likely because of this rhyme, I’ve always associated beans with causing gas, and was afraid to eat too many of them for this reason. As a vegetarian this was problematic, as it is hard for me to stay full without this protein source, and often times I’ll end up overeating other carbohydrates. Recently I’ve discovered that buying dry beans and soaking them is supposed to significantly reduce the gas producing carbohydrate raffinose (which causes gas because humans lack an enzyme required to digest them). Best of all, while soaking beans reduces the sugar content of raffinose, it does not significantly reduce the nutrients of the beans.
Also since beans are “good for the heart“, I thought making a Black Bean dip would be the perfect Valentines Day treat. I went to a Galentine’s Day party yesterday, and in the spirit of the holiday, I made a black bean dip with three seed beet crackers I got from Trader Joes (arranged in a heart). This black bean dip is gluten-free and vegan friendly, which makes it great for feeding people with different diet restrictions. Here’s how I made it:
Ingredients:
- 1 pound cooked dried Black Beans (or 4 cans of black beans if you are short on time)
- 1 white onion (chopped)
- 1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
- 4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
- cumin (1/2 teaspoon)
- salt pepper and chili powder to taste
- lime juice (optional)
- cilantro (optional)
- avocado (optional)
Instructions:
- Cook onion, bell pepper and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until translucent
- Add beans and cook until beans are warm
- Add cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder and lime juice (optional) to taste
- Add in blender until smooth, top with cilantro and/or avocado (optional, but totally would have added these ingredients if I had them at home).
- Serve and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please tag me at @ahavabite on instagram so I can see your delicious creations!
ahavabite 