Not long ago I shared some of my experience with fitness and weight-loss. One of the reasons I finally bit the bullet and published that post after hanging onto it for a while, was that I was carrying a little secret. When I took those after photos and wrote that post, I was a couple of months pregnant. I figured it was then or never since I would probably just start getting bigger from that point on! I had really great intentions going into this pregnancy. I was sure I would be awesome and fit and amazing and continue to eat healthy foods and fuel my body the right way and everything would be magical. And then a little someone came along and reminded me who was boss.
Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been disastrous. I’ve actually kept up working out and weight training and that part of me feels fantastic and strong. Even for the first 3 months when I was completely wiped out and feeling sick, I dragged myself to the gym every single day and I’m so glad I’ve kept up those habits. But my nutrition? That’s another story. You see, my babies don’t like quinoa, fresh spinach, and lean proteins (go figure). They’re more of the peanut butter, oreos, ice cream and nutella-straight-from-the-jar types. And since we’re being honest, we could add onions rings, bbq ribs, melted cheese, and Sour Patch Kids to that list. And ranch dressing. And Mexican food. Lots and lots of Mexican food. Soooo my latest goal has to been to get a handle back on my nutrition because I have been plumping up way too fast after a first trimester where I literally lived off a diet of straight-up carbs (preferably the fried or sugared kind.) And since I’ve been craving Latin food like crazy, I started by coming up with some healthier snacking alternatives and this has been one of my favorites.
Start with a can of black beans (that have been drained and rinsed) and add them to a food processor.
Then we’ll add a little tahini. This combo might sound weird, but trust me, I’ve never led you astray before. (And if you’re not familiar with tahini, it’s a paste that looks, and even tastes similar to peanut butter, but it’s made from sesame seeds. You can usually find it in the foreign food aisle of the grocery store, near the Indian foods.)
Add the juice from a big juicy lime
and you’ll need a little olive oil. I developed this recipe specifically with our Chili Olive Oil in mind- it’s perfection here, but if you don’t have any, you can certainly sub any extra virgin, or our Garlic!
The Chili Oil adds just the right amount of flavor and heat.
Add some minced garlic, ground cumin, and kosher salt and blend it up.
I recommend adding the zest from your lime, too.
After it’s pureed (you can leave it as chunky as you like), add water, or additional lime juice, until it’s the consistency you like. I usually ad 1-2 tablespoons, and then pop it in the fridge to let all of those flavors develop.
While your hummus is chilling, whip up the baked tortilla chips. Brush some 6-inch flour tortillas with olive oil (I prefer garlic olive oil, like ours)
and sprinkle with a mixture of ground cumin and a couple pinches of salt. I mix it up right in my palm and then sprinkle on with my fingers.
Now, I’ve mentioned this in blog posts before, but it’s worth mentioning again. This is one of my all-time favorite pantry staples. Any regular reader of this blog knows how much we LOVE our limes and lemons. And we’ve told you over and over again to never use the bottled stuff. But there will always be times when you’re in a pinch and you don’t have fresh limes, which is why I always, always have this in my cupboard. It’s called True Lime It’s actual crystallized limes (comes in lemon, orange, and grapefruit too.) You can buy it in these little packets, which is what you most often see in the grocery store,
or do what I do and get a big ol’ shaker jar. I love the convenience of just spooning in however much I need to into recipes. You can use it in anything you would use fresh limes for. Just last night I added it to our fresh pico de gallo, and our Fajita marinade.
Bottled lime juice is bitter and lacks flavor, but this stuff? It tastes just like real, fresh limes (because that’s what it is). Every time. I buy mine on Amazon, but you can sometimes find it near the bottled citrus juice, or in the baking aisle of the grocery store. The reason I’m mentioning it here is because it’s one of the few occasions where it shines in its crystallized form. Sprinkling it on tortilla chips (either homemade, like this, or warmed store-bought tortilla chips) gives them that awesome lime-dusted flavor that some restaurants and commercial brands use. It’s kind of a secret ingredient and it’s soooo good. You can of course skip this part of the chips and it’s fine, but if you grab some it knocks these out of the park.
That’s not sponsored- just honestly something I love and use and I thought you’d love it too! Now, back to cooking. Cut up those tortillas into wedges and baked them for 10-12 minutes until they’re light and crispy.
When the hummus is ready, drizzle it with some additional chili oil and sprinkle with some chopped cilantro.
Serve it with your baked chips (or pita chips, veggies, tortilla chips, etc.)
Or I even love it on a wrap with grilled chicken and roasted peppers. Healthy, with a good dose of protein and fiber and it tastes amaaazing.
Black Bean hummus with Baked Cumin-Lime Chips
Recipe by Our Best Bites
1 14.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (preferably our Chili Olive Oil)
optional but recommended: zest from 1 lime
juice from 1 lime (at least 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (jarred is fine)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
additional olive oil (about 1 teaspoon)
Baked Cumin-Lime Chips
4 6-inch flour tortillas (feel free to make more!)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil (Garlic olive oil, if you have it)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1-2 pinches table salt
optional but recommended: True Lime*
*If you don’t have True Lime, or can’t find it at your store, you could sprinkle on some finely grated and then chopped lime zest, or quickly run a 1/2 a cut lime over tortillas before sprinkling on seasonings.
Place black beans, tahini, 1 tablespoon chili oil, lime zest and juice, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and kosher salt in a food processor. Pulse until relatively smooth. Add 1-2 tablespoons water until desired consistency is reached. Can be eaten immediately, but for best results, place in fridge to chill for at least an hour. Note: If you’re not using chili olive oil, feel free to add a few splashes of hot sauce if you’d like a kick.)
To prepare chips, preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up). Brush tortillas with olive oil. Combine cumin and salt in palm of hand and sprinkle evenly over tortillas. If using True Lime, sprinkle on a little to taste. Use a pizza cutter to slice tortillas into 6 wedges each and place in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Let cool completely and serve with hummus.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups hummus.
Nutritional Info per 1/4 cup Hummus: Cal: 124 Fat:6g Pro:5g Carb: 13g Fiber: 5.5g
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Congratulations! Lady..
I am not a fan of black beans or any bean for that matter, but I do love hummus. I might have to try this out. Question, would squirting fresh lime juice work for the tortillas chips too before baking them? Is the flavor different?
You could try rubbing a half a lime over the tortillas, you just don’t want to add a lot of water/moisture because then they won’t crisp up. That’s why I suggested the zest.
Congratulations!!! That recipe looks so delicious!!
First congrats on your pregnancy. I have a question for you ladies. I bought my mother the set of flavored olive oils for mother’s day and she wants to know which recipes you have featured them in. Do you have a link or to these recipes or do they have there own category for quick access? Thanks you guys are awesome.
Hi Melissa, I hope she likes them! We are currently working on a special set of recipes for easy access, but for now- let her know that they can be used in ANY recipe that calls for olive oil. Just look at the flavor profile of whatever it is you’re cooking, and choose one that would match! Most of them are very versatile!
Hi I have a couple of your recipe books. In one of the books there is a recipe for a smoothie. It calls for cream of coconut not coconut milk. I can’t seem to find that ingredient at the grocery store. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Thanks
Alaina
Hi Alaina,
Cream of coconut is usually found near the alcoholic beverages in the grocery store. It should be in the same aisle that you find margarita mix, pina colada, etc. It’s usually either in a tin can, or a squeeze bottle. If you can’t find it, just ask a store employee- sometimes it’s hiding!
Congratulations!
Congratulations!!!! I always have such good intentions about not gaining weight while pregnant…. You gotta do what it takes to survive girl! Just keep exercising and it will come off easier afterwards!
Haha, amen!
This looks amazing! I love the tip about the true lime too. Congrats on the baby! Super exciting for you and your family!
Congratulations!!!!! 🙂
Congratulations (again)! Just wanted to add…It would be great and inspiring to learn about your workout/nutrition routine while pregnant. Hope to hear more about that in the months ahead. Good luck, best wishes!
That is awesome! Congratulations 🙂
Congratulations!! I’ve been waiting for this news since about 2 weeks after your fitness post when I noticed that you were doing a lot more shorter/easier/quicker posts and I wondered if it was because you were dealing with morning sickness. 🙂 I’m very happy for you!
AND I’m so excited for this recipe. I’ve been looking for a fun new twist on a chip/dip combo and this will be perfect. Can’t wait to try it.
Congratulations, Sara! I had #4 in October and was able to work out until a few days before I was induced. I ran regularly until 30 weeks and walked after that. I hadn’t exercised regularly with the other three babies but loved my early morning “boot camp” workouts with baby #4. I had been attending the camp for about a year before getting pregnant so it was fine to continue. There is so much you can still do with weights and other exercises that can be modified for pregnancy. I think it made labor easier, as well. Enjoy!
Congrats for your exciting news and sweet bundle of love on its way! I’m so happy for you and your family! Babies are beyond precious and such miracles. Best of wishes these next several months…hope all goes well! Hope you can take some naps too before the baby comes :] Enjoy! I just think you are amazing with all that you do…love everything about OBB!!!
Just wipped this up and it is delish! Can’t wait to have it for lunch tomorrow! 🙂 Thanks!
Congrats Sara! I just found out today I’m expecting my third boy. I thought of all the people I know with three boys in order to give me hope that I’ll survive! (I thought of you too, even though I don’t actually know you..). Anyway, I’m very happy for you! When are you due?
Oh that’s awesome! My favorite thing about having 3 boys in a row is that they’re best friends. They each have their own personalities, but they mostly love all of the same things and have built-in buddies! Congrats to you- that’s so fun! (Due in October)
Three boys sounds wonderful coming from you! You give me hope! Once again, congrats. (I’m due in October too! And my last name is Wells too, and you’re my food soulmate. Just thought I throw that in there! And since we’re now on the crazy train, the other day while making one of your recipes-which is pretty much a daily occurrence- I couldn’t get that song from Wicked out of my head where they sing “Because I knew you I have been changed for good.” I almost started crying, yikes, haha.. But seriously, I love you guys!! Ok the end.)
Congratulations!! We are expecting our first his December! We must have pretty close due dates. This recipe sounds delicious by the way!
Yay!! happy new!! Comrats!
Congratulations! I’ve been following your blog for about 2 years now and I love your recipes, adore your kitchen (LOL) and appreciate your words of wisdom. Your new little one is one lucky little bean! No worries about what the “Boss” is making you eat these days….its all worth it! 🙂
Congratulations! I’ve decided that black beans are the next new food I need to try, so maybe I’ll try this one out!
Congratulations! The food looks good, too 🙂
I love that you put “Boss” on the ultrasound! That is perfect! And congratulations on your exciting news…I always love hearing that kind of news…even from someone I’ve never met!
This recipe looks super delish and CONGRATS!
Congrats! That is super exciting news, Sara!
Congratulations! As a fellow mom of 3 boys, I am super curious about the gender. Boy? Girl? Let us know when you find out…or are you finding out?
Haha, yes we will find out this month! I expect it to be a boy, since apparently that’s all we make (and I’m totally okay with that!) but we’ll see if we defy the genetic odds 😉 I’ll let you guys all know when I find out!
Yes so exciting. I have 3 boys and just had a baby girl in August. We did not find out what we were having and I thought for sure it was another boy because everything was so similar to my first 3 pregnancies and I was fine with having 4 boys ( I mean boys are awesome right?!) so I was in shock when she came out and my husband told me it was a girl. So it is possible but I also have quite a few friends with 4 boys:). Great job on keeping up on the workouts, that will make you feel better throughout this pregnancy regardless of the weight gain. This recipe looks delicious, trying this soon!
Congratulations on your new baby!!! Love the pics of your boys – that white blond hair is adorable!
Congrats!!! So exciting!! I hope you do keep us posted on how your managing your health and fitness during your pregnancy 🙂
recipe looks good too!
Congrats. I am hoping we have a little #4 in the oven too. Too early to tell for us. Recipe looks great.
What great news! Congratulations! And thanks for all the healthy recipes! Good luck with your own continued quest for good nutrition and fitness. Being pregnant always adds a different dimension to those goals – at least for me! Hang in there. :o)
Congrats on your baby! I am going through the same thing right now..sure wish these little babies liked to eat healthy! So excited for you!