Here’s a beanie chip topped with organic cheese, crock banana peppers and homemade salsa.

I just heard about a new snack food called beanitos. I found the ingredient list on the internet and went to work on a grain-free, additive-free version that can be made at home.

I used an old recipe for Spicy Bean Dip from the Moosewood Cookbook and added ground yellow flax seeds to hold the chips together. I put the chips into the dehydrator for the night. I made two versions, one with fresh lime juice and one without. I know I have a great recipe when my family are eating the chips right out of the dehydrator!

The bean chips are a bit delicate but have a nice crunchy, creamy texture with a spicy aftertaste.

4c soaked and cooked organic white beans
4T organic olive oil
1 large organic onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2tsp sea salt
2tsp whole organic cumin seeds, freshly ground
1tsp whole organic peppercorns, freshly ground
1/2c garden parsley, chopped
2-4 pinches organic cayenne, to taste
1/2c yellow flax seeds, freshly ground
1/4c homemade banana peppers, minced (optional)
1 organic lime, freshly squeezed (optional)

Soak the white beans overnight in filtered water. Rinse the beans well before covering with fresh water and cooking for 1-2 hours until very tender. Remove any scum or hard beans during cooking. Rinse the cooked bean in filtered water.

Freshly grind all the spices and yellow flax in a spice grinder for best results. Saute the onions and sea salt in the olive oil until lightly browned. Remove from heat and add the garlic and cumin.

In a food processor, blend the onion mixture, parsley, cayenne, peppercorns, banana peppers and lime until smooth. Add the cooked beans and flax meal and mix well. Use a bit of extra water to get a smooth texture, if needed. The bean paste should be as thick as possible.

Drop the bean paste onto the dehydrator sheets using a teaspoon. With a wet spoon lightly press down the paste into a round shape. The bean chips dry very quickly in the dehydrator.

This recipe can be used for making spicy bean chips which are a good travel food. If you don’t have time to dehydrate the chips just use the bean paste as a dip.