I love avocados and that’s one of the many tasty and healthy ingredients in this Black Bean Avocado Salad. I actually love all the ingredients in this easy-to-make salad…it’s really like a party for your taste buds! 🙂 In addition to avocado and black beans, there’s red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, corn, and some jalapeño, to give it a little kick—and they all taste great together!
Continue reading
I have a big weakness for dips, so I try to just make them when I need to bring something to a party or get-together—that way, I have plenty of people to help me eat it! 🙂 This Layered Black Bean Dip is really easy to make, and I like to think that the black beans make it a little healthier! 🙂 I added a little plain Greek yogurt to the original recipe to make the base of the dip a little creamier and also topped it with some green onion slices.
Continue reading
When I was at the grocery store the other day, I saw some Black Bean Hummus. I hadn’t noticed that flavor before and it sounded great ! Instead of buying some, I decided to make my own.
You use black beans instead of garbanzo beans (or chickpeas) in this hummus, but it still has many of the same ingredients you would use in your typical hummus recipe…like olive oil, garlic, and tahini. It also has a little cayenne pepper in it, which adds some spiciness–but if you prefer a milder flavor, leave it out.
This is a smooth and creamy hummus, and I love the flavor combination of the black beans with all the other spices. If you like hummus and black beans, keep this recipe in mind!
BLACK BEAN HUMMUS by NancyCreative
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
- Optional garnishes: 10 to 12 Kalamata olives, 1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Place all ingredients, except for the garnish ingredients (olives and cilantro), in a food processor or high-power blender; process until smooth and creamy. Spoon into a bowl and garnish with olives and fresh cilantro. Serve with pita bread, fresh veggies, or tortilla chips.
I’m enjoying trying out and creating different hummus recipes! I’ve also made these other hummus recipes: basic Hummus, Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus, and Pumpkin Hummus. Do you have a favorite hummus flavor?
Linked to Inspire Me Monday.
When I buy salad greens, I like buying organic. Last week, I had the chance to try some complimentary greens from OrganicGirl. This company specializes in making a variety of salad 
blends and greens that are all organic, triple washed, and packaged in 100% recycled plastic packaging, which I think is great! I tried out a package of their Super Greens (a blend of baby red chard, baby tat soi, baby spinach, baby green swiss chard, and baby arugula), and a package of their Baby Spinach. I really liked these OrganicGirl greens–they were very fresh and tender, and worked great in the recipes I used them in. And I’ll be sharing these recipes with you!
And more good news–OrganicGirl will provide 5 giveaways of the same two packages of greens I tried out–so 5 of you can win these two healthy, tasty organic greens to try out for yourself! Organic Girl will send the greens directly to you, or you can receive coupons to get them from your local health food store if you prefer. See the end of the post for details on how to win!
Today I’ll share the Fiesta Salad recipe I made with the Super Greens. The giveaway will end on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. (CST), and on Wednesday or Thursday evening, when I announce the 5 winners, I’ll share a recipe I made with the Baby Spinach.
I really like the variety of ingredients this Super Greens Fiesta Salad has! I found a recipe at Taste of Home and modified it a little, taking out some ingredients and adding in some other ones. I also used larger amounts, so this will make a big bowl of salad that serves about 8 people. If you need to make the salad a little ahead of time, don’t toss the dressing in until right before serving.
SUPER GREENS FIESTA SALAD by NancyCreative, adapted from Taste of Home
Makes 8 servings
- 1 (5-ounce) container OrganicGirl Super Greens mix (about 4 well-packed cups; or substitute your favorite lettuce greens)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced olives
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 2/3 cup salsa
- 1/4 cup light sour cream or plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup light Ranch salad dressing
In a large salad bowl, combine the salad greens, corn, black beans, tomatoes, green onions, sliced olives, and celery.
In a small bowl, combine the salsa, sour cream or plain yogurt, and ranch dressing; mix until well blended. Drizzle this salsa dressing over salad mixture and toss to coat. Makes about 8 servings.
Note: This dressing gives the salad a generous coating. If you or your family prefer a lighter amount of dressing, just use about 3/4 cup of the dressing mixture. Or, just toss all your salad ingredients together without the dressing and serve the dressing on the side. You can also serve this salad with a vinaigrette if you prefer.
GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED–winning comments were: #7, #10, #20, #24, and #33
Now for the Giveaway…if you’d like to enter to win two packages of organic greens–Super Greens and Baby Spinach–from OrganicGirl, leave a comment on this blog post between now and Wednesday evening, March 12, at 8 p.m. (CST)–the random drawings will be made from the comments on this post only (there will be 5 winners)! The winners will be chosen randomly via Random.org and announced on Wednesday or Thursday evening, March 12 or 13. Winners will be notified via email. Giveaway is limited to readers in the Continental U.S. and Canada.
NOTE: If you are a winner, your email will be given to OrganicGirl and they will contact you via email about getting your greens delivered to you. You have the option to have coupons for the product sent instead if you prefer. Winners who reside in Canada will only be able to receive the coupons.
First entry: Leave a comment on this post–it would be great to hear what your favorite greens are, or what your favorite salad is!
Bonus entry: If you are a new or existing follower or subscriber, you can leave one extra comment telling me the way (or ways) you are following.
I hope you all have the time to leave a comment or two for the chance to try out these OrganicGirl greens! And if you’re not sure where OrganicGirl products are available near you, there’s a store locator here to help you find one!
Winter seems to be trying to hang on in some areas! Have you had a lot of cool spring days where you live? Well, next time the temperature drops, this is a great soup to make if you like black beans. I found this recipe at Eating Well, and thought it sounded good. And after tasting it, I thought it was great! It has a little chili powder, cumin, and even some salsa to give it a little zippy Southwestern taste. Since you puree half of this soup, it has a nice creaminess with a little chunky texture. And it tastes great with some sour cream (or greek yogurt), shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped fresh cilantro on top. I added less water than the original recipe calls for, which was a good thing, because the soup would have been too watery for my liking if I had followed the recipe exactly. I really like the way it turned out–it’s great for lunch or a lighter dinner.
SOUTHWESTERN BLACK BEAN SOUP by NancyC, adapted from EatingWell.com
Makes about 6 servings
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until onion begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin, and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add beans, water, salsa, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.
Transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree (use caution when pureeing hot liquids)–you may have to puree half the soup in two batches. Stir the puree back into the saucepan. Serve soup garnished with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and/or chopped cilantro, if desired.
Do you like black beans? What’s your favorite way to prepare them?
NancyC 