Italian Bean Dip

This is a recipe that is one of my standbys - any kind of bean will do, though I particularly like chickpeas and black beans the best. You can use any herb blend as well, though I prefer Italian seasonings for this. Today I used black beans since I have six cans in my pantry, and I had a half can of tomatoes left over from the pizza on Friday night. Use the best extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil that you can, since the flavor of the olive oil is highlighted in this recipe.

Italian Bean Dip

1 can beans
1/2 of a 15-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 heaping tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried Italian herb mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Sriracha (or hot sauce of your choice)
Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Place first six ingredients in food processor or blender and process till mixed well but still chunky. With motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until you get the texture you want.

Note: This will provide us a couple of days worth of toppings for bruschetta and dips for crudites or unsalted pretzels. If you plan on using dippers that are salted, you might want to cut the salt down or leave it out entirely, as it can seem too salty (at least to me) when the dippers are salted. Lunch today will be bruschetta topped with this bean dip and maybe coleslaw on the side.