Spicy Black Bean Hummus

I found this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine and it was the perfect afternoon snack today, along with some guacamole.

1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small jalapeño pepper, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
Dash of crushed red pepper
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of ground red pepper

Place garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, black beans, jalapeño pepper, and crushed red pepper; process until smooth. Spoon bean mixture into a medium bowl, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with ground red pepper.

Guacamole

I've been on this guacamole kick lately, which includes polishing off the whole bowl in one sitting. Jim helps eat it, but it's become quite the obsession. Below is a quick and easy recipe that I've been using. Jim hates tomatoes so I use fresh salsa instead...I can get away with that. Feel free to use a small diced tomato though. We just can't get enough! Enjoy!

1 large or 2 small avocados

1/2 lime

1/2 small red/yellow onion, minced (a large shallot would also work)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp. fresh salsa

1-2 tbsp. Frank's RedHot

a handful of fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Peel the avocado and place the halves into a bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the avocado until smooth (leave it a little chunky if you prefer). Squeeze the lime over the avocado until all the juice has been squeezed out. Add in the onion, garlic, salsa, RedHot sauce, salt and pepper. Mix together and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.