Here’s a great dinner when you’re staying in with family or have company coming round! Black bean and corn nachos hit the spot and can be made with store cupboard ingredients which makes the dish perfect for a weekday dinner. Bring Mexico home with nachos/tortilla chips of your choice plus all the toppings on the side – chopped tomatoes, avocados, coriander – anything goes! I’ve served mine with cashews blitzed with coriander and water to make a coriander sauce! Try it, it really is yummy!!!
Black bean health benefits
Black beans are about the size of a pea and jet black. They have a mild, earthy type of taste and are used widely in Mexican and Latin American cooking. As with many beans, black beans are a great source of fibre which helps reduce cholesterol. The high fibre content of black beans prevents blood sugar levels from rising too quickly after a meal which make them a great choice for sufferers of diabetes.
Black beans also support heart health due to the presence of antioxidants, Vitamin B6 and folic acid. In particular, studies have shown that richly coloured dried beans, such as red kidney beans, offer great antioxidant protection. As beans also protect against cancer (and in particular breast cancer) here’s another great reason to include beans in your diet on a regular basis.
Corn health benefits
Corn can come in many different types and colours ranging from pink, red, black and blue. Yellow corn which is predominantly used today is high in lutein which is a carotenoid. This phytochemical can protect against heart disease and macular degeneration which is a condition of the eye often seen in older age.
Corn is a good source of complex carbohydrate in addition to providing essential fatty acids and fibre.
Combining these ingredients together, with brown rice (I used basmati) helps you feel fuller for longer and balances out the less healthy tortilla chips! Dig into these black bean and corn nachos and enjoy!
PS – the coriander sauce is blitzing cashews (pre-soaked in water) with coriander and water. Add sufficient water to get the consistency you’re after! And if you blitz for a few minutes, the cashews impart a wonderful creamy texture to the sauce. Add more lime juice to the sauce to really make it zingy!
Black bean and corn nachos
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Bowl
- Grater
Ingredients
- 1 Small red onion, chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, grated
- 1 Red chilli, deseeded if you wish and sliced
- 1 Pinch of ground cumin
- 200g Cooked black beans - if from a tin, drained and rinsed
- 100g Sweet corn - if from a tin, drained and rinsed
- 100g Brown basmati rice, cooked
- 1 Lime
- 1 bag Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Add some olive oil to a frying pan and gently fry the onion until soft.
- Add the grated garlic, chopped chilli and cumin and cook for a few minutes. Add the black beans and corn and when warm, transfer to a bowl and stir through the juice of a lime.
- To the same pan, add a bit of oil and then the rice, stirring for a few minutes for it to brown slightly. Add the black bean and corn mixture back to the pan, combine and check the seasoning. Add salt & pepper if you wish and then serve with nachos and toppings of your choice!
And If You Liked This, You May Also Like