Black Bean Sun-dried Tomato Hummus with Fresh Basil

I have a black bean problem. I love black beans so much.

I eat them for breakfast most mornings. I work them into all manner of soups, stews, fritattas and wraps at every opportunity. I recently discovered the trick to soaking and cooking the dried beans so that they turn out tender and perfect each time. Cheaper, more flavourful… my black bean thing is really getting out of control now.

Fortunately, this isn’t the worst food infatuation to have. Black beans are loaded with heaps of healthy fibre, vitamins, minerals, protein… a short google search basically confirms that black beans are EXCELLENT for you. Which is excellent for me… because I love them.

Over the Labour Day long weekend, Colin and I headed up to the cabin on Shuswap for some much needed R’n’R. We invited some friends up to join us, because no weekend at the lake would quite be complete without at least a few drinking buddies and- even better- another pup for Hannah to play with.

Being the fantastic guests they are, our friends brought a van full of fresh fruits and veggies, a flat full of drinks, and a batch of- you guessed it- black bean hummus. I had never had black bean hummus before, but I am a fan of the traditional chickpea.

WELL. The hummus was gone far, far too quickly. I could have eaten it with a spoon, straight up. In fact, I almost did, given my unreasonable hummus to chip ratio which garnered a couple raised eyebrows. Whaaaaat? The chip is merely transport for the hummus. The chip is not the star of the show here, guys!

I immediately asked for the recipe, of course. I couldn’t just rip it off, though. I had to use it as a jumping off point. Black beans are like tofu- they’re a blank canvas to run with. What flavours did I want to run with?

Sun-dried tomatoes were an obvious choice. They’re sweet, tart (see also: slow-roasted tomatoes), often suspended in lovely oil, which makes the hummus that much creamier. They add a bright and acidic flavour to offset the creamy, starchy quality of the beans.

What goes well with sun-dried tomatoes? Fresh basil! From my garden, last of the season. The flavours together make a punchy hummus with a subtle hint of ‘pesto’ which isn’t actually pesto. Garlic, basil, lemon… I’m sure you could skip these ingredients and substitute a couple spoonfuls of actual pesto if that’s easier, but I haven’t attempted that myself yet.

Best of all, it’s a ridiculously easy recipe, great for guests and potlucks. I made it for a group of people a week ago and it was a huge hit– moreso than things I had put hours more time and effort into! It’s like getting a birthday present for a toddler and having them play with the box it came in instead.

Still, I can’t complain. As long as people are happy with my food, I’m happy! Next time, I’ll skip the apple rosettes and spend a scant 5 minutes around my food processor instead. 🙂