Creamy Black Bean Dip

I love making white bean hummus, so decided to try a similar concept as a black bean dip for a Mexican meal. It was a super easy app/topping for tacos and then I used the leftover in a taco salad type meal. It would also be good as a dip with veggies. Lately after learning more about the benefits of hemp oil, I have been incorporating it into my dips and dressings. I would recommend trying it, as it is a great superfood and good for the economy and environment. I also love avocado oil and have listed it as an alternative, but olive oil will work too if you want to use what you already have on hand.

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Ingredients:

• Hemp seed or avocado oil

• Goat Cheese Crumbles

• 1 Can black beans

• 1/2 Tsp Cumin

• 1/4 Tsp Chile powder

• 1 Jalapeno

• 1 Lime

• 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves

• 1/4 Cup fresh cilantro

Method:

• Seed the jalapeno by slicing off the top, then cutting it in half and scraping out the seeds

• Slice and juice the lime into the food processor

• Add all ingredients except oil and goat cheese to food processor (leave a sprig of cilantro for garnish!)

• Pulse until combined, then drizzle oil while pulsing

• Pour into bowl and garnish with goat cheese crumbles and cilantro

Goat cheese crumbles add a great texture but can be eliminated to make this recipe vegan/dairy free

Hemp Med Bowl

One of the fun parts of moving to a new city has been navigating the wellness scene, especially finding local health food companies, farmers and other small businesses. I was completely intrigued to learn about the local production of hemp and what a great benefit it is to both the economy and environment. I have always incorporated hemp seeds into my breakfast bowls (oats, smoothies, etc.) for an extra pop of protein, but never considered them as a nutritious addition to heartier meals.

Meeting Chad Rosen from Victory Hemp Foods lead to an entirely new discovery of hemp's uses and benefits. According to Rosen, founder of VHF, "Hemp foods are nutritious and delicious; with the ideal ratio of Omedga-6 to Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and a protein profile with all 9 essential amino acids including L-Arginine as well as Magnesium. It's a superfood that our bodies can thrive on." He introduced me to hemp oil, which he recommended as a perfect oil for dressings.

In this recipe, hemp oil helps create a creamy tahini dressing both used to massage the kale and drizzle on top. I also recreated by basil avocado cream using hemp oil, then added texture to the avocado by topping it with hemp seeds. Other components of the bowl are: spiced roasted sweet potatoes, red onion, quinoa, cucumbers, chickpeas and kale. Love this hearty bowl as a post workout protein refuel. 

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Ingredients:

• 1 Can chickpeas

• Kale

• 1/4 Cup Tahini

• Cumin

• Coriander

• Salt/pepper

• 1 Cucumber

• 1 Red onion

• Victory Hemp Foods Hemp Hearts

• Victory Hemp Foods Hemp Oil

• 2 large or 4 small garlic cloves

• 1 large sweet potato

• 1/2 cup quinoa (dry)

• 1 cup Vegetable broth (low sodium)

• Fresh Basil

• 2 Lemons

Method:

• Tahini Dressing: Add tahini, juice of 1 lemon, 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp hemp oil, salt and pepper to food processor. Pulse until combined. Add 1tbsp of water at a time and pulse until dressing is your desired consistency (should be thin enough to drizzle but thick enough that it's still creamy)

• Avocado Cream: Follow this recipe, but use hemp oil

• Sweet Potatoes: Cube sweet potatoes and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and coriander. Roast at 400 degrees for around 35 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork. Use a spatula to toss them around the pan halfway through.

• Quinoa: Add quinoa and vegetable broth to a small pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 30 minutes or until broth has been absorbed.

• Massage kale with a generous amount of tahini dressing using your hands until it's more tender. Add chopped red onion and cucumber, rinsed and drained chickpeas, and sweet potatoes to kale. Drizzle bowl with remaining tahini dressing. Put a dollop of avocado cream in the middle and top with hemp hearts.

Creamy tahini dressing is perfect for breaking down and massaging the kale