Bingo Bango Bean Dip

I don’t know about you but I sometimes get an urge to rid of pantry items. I see a can of something sitting there, maybe I feel bad for it or think geez, that’s been there for months. Combine that with plenty of refrigerator ingredients and I am on my way to a creation, sometimes beautiful AND tasty and other times, it ends with the entire cookware and concoction being thrown out- I don’t like to look at failure for too long but I also don’t like waste.

I took a chance over the weekend and pulled out two cans of black beans…I wasn’t too worried about the results because heck, they are black beans and really can only be made better. I am so proud of this dip. My husband, who is quick to quip, bellowed “make this again soon!” Bingo bango. He confirmed what my first taste had told me.

We were so hungry (how hungry were you) that I didn’t get a picture (angry crowd letdown noises). If you must have a picture, it looked pretty much the same as my spinach dip in a previous post, with cheese on top. I will make up for it by providing a gratuitous picture of a squirrel. No need for thanks.

Black Bean Dip
Makes 4 large individual ramekins-about 3 cups

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 chipotle in adobo- optional
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt/pepper
¼ cup chicken stock
1 small red onion, chopped
3 tsp Cajun Seasoning
1 cup shredded cheese of choice (I had mozzarella and 4 Italian cheese blend)
flatbread, pita chips, anything you like for dipping…might want to avoid fingers if sharing

Heat oven to 350. Rinse canned beans and pull out blender or food processor. Add all ingredients (except cheese and dippers) and chop to desired consistency. You might need to do this in batches and combine it in a bowl at the end. The cheese is up to you in terms of when to put it with the dip. I would recommend adding some cheese in and on top, half in and half on top. Fill ramekins or other dish and bake for 7-10 minutes. I would place a baking sheet under the ramekins. Then, add more cheese on top and cook for another 5-10 minutes and remove when cheese is melted.