Universal bean dip recipe

Lately I've been domestic-goddess-ing it up a lot, which amounts to fewer blog posts.

I made two quilts.

I made Kouign Amann, a Breton pastry I learned about on the British Baking Show.

I made pie.

I've also made a lot of bean dip lately.  I love bean dip of all kinds.  I just didn't use to make it because I didn't have a blender, and a food processor doesn't get it really creamy because it's more for chopping.  Since I got one this past Christmas, I've been trying lots of kinds of bean dip.

I discovered that it doesn't really matter what kind of bean dip you're trying to make, the method and proportions are pretty much the same.  You need cooked beans, oil, acid, and flavoring.

So, for instance, black bean dip can be made like this:

1 can of black beans, drained
2-4 Tbs olive oil (or other oil)
1-2 Tbs lime juice
jalapenos, onions, cayenne, chili powder, garlic, cumin, and/or salt to taste

You blend the beans with the oil, then add the other ingredients.

Meanwhile my white bean recipe has a little twist: I like to cook the seasonings in the oil.

Onions, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, and garlic, cooked in 2-4 Tbs of olive oil
1 can white beans
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
salt to taste

That's it!  The only important thing is to mix in the oil before the acid, so the blended beans really drink it in.

Can you make hummus like this?

Turns out you can!

1 can chickpeas, drained
2-4 Tbs olive oil
(tahini if you have it -- I never do)
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
parsley, cumin, garlic, salt

Now some blenders do not like to blend anything that doesn't have enough liquid in it.  If yours is like that (mine is) make sure the oil is added at the very beginning, and add more if it's not blending.

Bean dip is good on crackers, bell pepper slices, carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber slices, and so on.  If you eat the last of it with a spoon, I'll never tell.