From the Kitchen: Spicy Black Bean Dip

This spicy black bean dip is great with tortilla chips for an appetizer at a party....we are addicted!  And it is SO EASY.  Like, embarrassingly easy when people ask you how to make it (which they often do)!  And, I almost always have the ingredients on hand, so it's simple to whip it up on short notice!

Spicy Black Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 can black beans
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice (lime juice works too)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons cumin
1 jalapeno, including seeds (you can remove them if you want a milder dip)
1/4 bunch cilantro

Directions:

Throw everything in a blender and blend away.  That's pretty much it :)  I don't even chop the jalapeno or remove the cilantro leaves from the stems...I just throw it all in and blend it up.  I use my Vitamix which is super powerful and blends it easily; if you're using a normal blender, you may have to blend it for a while to get the super-smooth texture (which is key - the dip is much less appetizing when it's chunky from the bean skins not being fully blended).  The color of the dip is not that exciting, so I normally garnish it with some cilantro leaves or some piped sour cream drizzled on top.