By Genevieve
With Super Bowl Sunday coming up next weekend, its the perfect time to share a fun party appetizer recipe to add to your game day menu!
To be honest, I'm not really a football fan, but I do look forward to the Super Bowl every year. It's fun to choose my favourite team (usually based on uniform colours) and to watch the entertainment and big-budget commercials (although sadly we never get to see the best commercials up here in Canada).
And of course, I look forward to Super Bowl food! I love sitting around the coffee table in front of the TV eating a meal made up entirely of finger foods, chips and dip.
Guacamole is one of the things that has always made an appearance in our family's Super Bowl meal, but this year I wanted to try something a bit different with my guacamole. I had seen these guacamole-stuffed black bean cups on the blog Cake, Batter & Bowl a long time ago but I'd never gotten around to making them, so I decided that now was the perfect opportunity to try them!
I've also had plantains on my mind lately, so I knew I wanted to try incorporate them somehow. First, I decided to make some sauteed plantains to top each cup with... and then I thought why not mix them into the guacamole too? I've tried mango guacamole in the past, so I figured another tropical fruit would also taste just as good...and did it ever!
I don't like making strong statements like "this was the best guacamole ever", but it turned out even better than I expected! It was so creamy and I loved the way the sweetness of the plantains paired with the lime and avocado - just make sure you get a ripe enough plantain. otherwise it won't mash easily and the flavour won't be as pronounced.. Then the other ingredients like the cilantro, garlic and jalapeno helped to balance out the other flavours and added just a bit of heat to the guacamole.
What I loved most about this whole appetizer was that each of the components was so good on its own, but eating them all together made each part taste even better! The black bean cups were the perfect little vessel to hold the guacamole, and this way everyone can just pick up a portable cup instead of the usual chip-and-dip method.
The recipe might look a bit long, but each of the components is easy and quick to make. You can even make the black bean cups earlier in the day and then assemble everything right before you want to eat. I think these will definitely earn a permanent spot on my Super Bowl menu from now on!
Plantain Guacamole
Ingredients:
- 2 very ripe avocados
- 1 very ripe plantain (yellow with black spots)
- 1 small-medium jalapeno,finely minced
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
Peel and dice the avocados and place in a bowl. Peel or slice the the skin off the plantain, then cut into small pieces and add to the bowl with the avocados. Mash the avocados and plantain together until creamy (a few chunks are okay).
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Sauteed Plantains
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe plantain (yellow with a bit of green is okay)
- Dash of chili powder and cumin
- Water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
Peel the plantain and cut into round slices (you will need at least 12 slices). Place slices in a bowl and sprinkle with chili powder and cumin. Add a couple drops of water to help the spices stick, tossing to coat.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the plantains and cook for 5-6 minutes, flipping once, until browned. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Black Bean Cups
Adapted from Cake, Batter & Bowl
Ingredients:
- 1 can (1.5 cups) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF and spray a 24 cup mini-muffin pan (or two 12-cup pans) with cooking spray.
Place the black beans, flour, cumin, paprika and salt in a large food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Then keep the processor running while you slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Process until the mixture comes together into a smooth, sticky dough.
Divide the dough evenly into the muffin cups and press with your fingers to form cups that spread up the sides of each muffin cup.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the cups are set. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
To assemble:
Fill each black bean cup with a large spoonful of the guacamole. Cut the larger sauteed plantain slices in half and top each guacamole cup with one of the half-slices (you can keep the smaller slices whole).
Note: Leftovers won't save very well the next day, but I doubt you'll have any leftovers anyway! If you end up with extra plantains or guacamole after assembling the cups, you can just eat them on their own without the black bean cups.
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