Summer dips - take one.

I planted a little container garden from seed a few months back. This is my very first attempt at growing anything and so far I'm pretty pleased with myself. The most successful of my plants (so far) is the cilantro. In fact, my little cilantro plant is growing so quickly that I'm struggling to keep up. So today's recipe is a quick and easy one that uses lots of cilantro (adapted from this Whole Foods recipe). Black Bean Hummus with Lemon & Cilantro:

• 2-15 oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 3 teaspoons of tamari
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 to 1 cup of cilantro, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Combine beans, garlic, tahini, water, tamari, lemon juice and half of the cilantro in the food processor.
2. Pulse until the ingredients are combined and the hummus appears smooth.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pulse the mixture to combine.
5. Transfer to another bowl and fold in the remaining cilantro.

You can refrigerate this hummus until you are ready to serve it. This recipe yields several servings and travels well so it's perfect to share with friends at a summer picnic or barbecue (a common theme in my life). Serve with baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and warm pita.