Black Bean and Jalapeño Dip

A Mexican-inspired black bean dip!

This unusual Mexican-inspired black bean and jalapeño dip goes really well with a big bowl of blue corn tortilla chips! It’s another easy way to get some beans into the diet, without it being a big hassle.

Black beans, with their strong colour, have a higher level of anthocyanins (helpful phytonutrients) than other beans. Along with the red onions and coriander leaves they also contain the important flavonoid quercetin, which isn’t found in large quantities in too many other foods.

If you don’t like your food too spicy, simply cut down (or omit) the jalapeño. Although chilli peppers add ‘heat’ the capsaicin they contain ironically has anti-inflammatory properties – so they’re good to include regularly in the diet. We also build up a tolerance to the spiciness – so building up slowly is the best way forward.

The large amount of coriander used in our black bean and jalapeño dip adds beta-carotene (which we can use more easily due to the addition of olive oil), and chlorophyll; coriander can be really useful in supporting the body’s detox pathways so is an essential ingredient in any of our detox programmes.

Overall this is a great-tasting and visually attractive dip – packed with so many healthy ingredients. Again, a great alternative to hummus….

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