Spicy Black Bean Dip

Looking for a great appetizer, snack, or side dish for dinner?  Try this black bean dip.  It is AMAZING.  I made it a couple weeks ago when my friend Andrea from my kinda perfect came over for a craft night.  We both loved it, so I made it again this weekend for lunch.  You can control the amount of spice and heat if you don't like it hot - leave out the chipotle pepper, and just add the adobo sauce.  The combination of the black beans with the corn and the sweetness of the tomato really made this a home run dip for me.  This recipe does have a few steps, but they are not hard, and the end result makes it worth the extra dishes :)

Spicy Black Bean Dip
recipe from One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil + more for baking dish
1 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into medium dice
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 (15.5-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained well
1 canned chipotle en adobo, minced, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from can
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (if frozen, thaw first)
3/4 cup (3 oz.) grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup (3 oz.) grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Tortilla chips for serving

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 1-1/2 qt. baking dish with oil (or non-stick cooking spray).

See this beauty of a tomato?  It was one of my last heirlooms from the garden.  I grew a couple different varieties this year, and this was one of my favorites - Big Rainbow.

Core and dice your tomato.

Set the tomatoes in a colander over the sink and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, to help draw out any liquid.

Peel and dice your onion.

Heat oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Reduce heat to medium, add onion, sprinkle with reserved 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes.

Add garlic and chili powder.

Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Rinse and drain your beans.

Add half of black beans to the pan.

Now get your chipotles in adobo sauce and scoop out one pepper if you want this dip spicy.  If not, leave out the pepper.

Slice it, removing any seeds if you don't want too much heat, and add to the pan.

Add 1-2 Tablespoons of the adobo sauce to the pan.

Now add about 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil.

Cook until liquid reduces by about half, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer bean mixture to a food processor.

Add 1 tablespoon vinegar.

Process until smooth.

In a large bowl, add the rest of the beans, tomatoes and corn.

Add the processed mixture to the bowl.

Now add half of each of cheeses.
Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to baking dish.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese melts and browns around edges, about 15 minutes (longer if refrigerated).

Sprinkle with cilantro or parsley.

Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

This makes 4-6 servings, but can easily be doubled if you are feeding a crowd.

Doesn't that look tasty?

Enjoy!