My kids hate vegetables. How about yours? I’ve been working hard to hide veggies in, well, everything so that they can have a semblance of a balanced diet. Y’all. Being a mom is hard work! Add to that trying to diet, lose weight, get healthy, and it’s enough to make even the calmest person scream. Skip to the Protein-Packed Black Bean Dip recipe here.
Protein-Packed Black Bean Dip
I’m not that person. I cry, and whine, and beg, but they will not, can not be forced to eat their veggies. Boogers. But offer them veggies and something to dip them in? They’re sold.
They’ll plow through any kind of dip I give them. Hummus, ranch (yes, I go there), even ketchup. Then I had the bright idea to make some black bean dip.
Well, I didn’t actually have a “bright” idea. I actually ran out of chickpeas. But I had a whole #10 can of freeze dried black beans in my pantry. I’m pretty sure that God knew I’d be needing it when he changed my Q last month.
Freeze-drying, or lyophilization, is like “suspended animation” for food. You can store a freeze-dried meal for years and years, and then, when you’re finally ready to eat it, you can completely revitalize it with a little hot water. Even after all those years, the taste and texture will be pretty much the same. That’s some trick!” source
So, since I was out of chickpeas, I got creative. At first, Smalls (my oldest) was a little skeptical. But he quickly figured out that we would get to science this.
First, you’re going to want to rehydrate and cook your beans.
To do this, put 1 cup of instant black beans in the Instant Pot, then add 3 cups of bone broth. Set the manual timer for 10 minutes at high pressure. Allow the pressure to release naturally. (Almost) instant beans. You can either serve your beans warm, or allow them to cool slightly and chill them in the fridge. Plan to use your beans within a few days of reconstitution.
Then, we got out our Vitamix and got to work.
Awesome Black Bean Dip
- 3 cups black beans
- 3/4 cup onions, finely chopped (or you can ninja this and use diced freeze-dried onions)
- 4 cloves roasted garlic
- 1 can mild diced green chilis
- 1/4 cup cilantro (fresh or freeze dried)
- a few drops of lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 cup kale powder
This recipe is super simple. Add everything to your blender and then blend until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a few tablespoons of water to help things blend.
Move everything to an airtight glass container and toss it in the fridge.
Allow your protein-packed black bean dip to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. This is one of those things that gets more flavorful the longer it sits. When you’re ready to serve, chop up some veggies (our favorites are bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, jicama, and celery), and enjoy!
When you’re ready to serve, chop up some veggies and enjoy!
All The Veggies
Once you’re ready, you’ll want to grab some fresh veggies and let the kids go to town. Some of the boy’s favorites are:
- sweet bell peppers
- cucumbers
- carrots
- jicama
- celery
If you’re following Trim Healthy Mama, this would be an “e” meal or snack.
Beans are an amazing source of protein and black beans pack a whopping 39 grams of protein per cup. Plus, it gets my kids (and my hubby) to eat their veggies.
By adding powdered kale (I literally just take the freeze dried kale and put it in the Vitamix for a couple seconds, then store it in its original container), I’m upping their green leafy vegetable intake, and they don’t complain and whine that I’m making them eat dirt.
Yes, my kids think that kale tastes like dirt (it doesn’t). Sneaking veggies in helps me feel like I’m not such a failure at this mom thing, and I’m pretty sure they don’t mind too much. I haven’t asked.
You probably noticed that I used some of my awesome freeze dried food for this recipe. I promise that it tastes just like (or better than) fresh.
