Creamy Black Bean Dip

Back in the 1990's, I actually won a prize for an appetizer I made called "Cowboy Caviar". It was a layered black bean dip with cream cheese and eggs. The cream cheese layered dips were quite popular back then. While quite delicious and pretty to look at, these kinds of dips are difficult to eat, requiring scraping and scooping off a platter. I found people were slow to try it, because of this. I thought they were missing out on a really unusual treat. Over the years, it lost its popularity, and I stopped making it as often. 

Every few weeks my Bitches Brew Crew gets together to make beer, and we bring snacks. This week, my old stand-by came to mind, but I wanted an easier way to eat it. I pureed the base ingredients together, then topped with the eggs and some scallions. While easier to eat, the base puree looked a little unappetizing. So, she isn't the prettiest girl at the prom, but very tasty, nonetheless!

Creamy Black Bean Dip (Cowboy Caviar 2012)

2-15 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed 

3 tablespoons olive oil 

2 tablespoons lime juice

4 cloves garlic, smashed 

1/2 cup onion, diced (I used the bottoms of my scallions as well)

1 tablespoon cumin 

1 teaspoon chili powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

1 can large black olives 

1-8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

3 hard boiled eggs, diced

1/2 cup green scallion tops, thinly sliced 

In a food processor, combine the beans, olive oil, lime juice, garlic and onion until smooth. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and process until combined. Remove from processor into a large bowl. Chop the olives until coarsely chopped, and stir into bean puree. Soften cream cheese in microwave and stir into bean dip. Spread mixture into a pie plate or flat serving dish, and top with eggs and scallions.

I wanted to show a little bit of what it looked like on the inside, but also how popular it was at the brew session. Don't be put off by the purple gray color of the dip...it's really yummy!