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Black Beans
Black beans have a distinctive but mild flavor that I love. In this simple but tasty dish, black beans are slow-cooked in a simple tomato-based sauce, complimented by cilantro. This simple recipe makes a great side, served with grilled chicken or quesadillas, or it can be served as a main vegetarian dish - goes well with creamy coleslaw or another tangy side.
This recipe was inspired by a recipe at Kaylin’s Kitchen, but I used tomato sauce instead of chicken stock, to keep it vegetarian, and I added a few additional spices for a savory but subtle spicy flavor. The black beans take center stage here, though, as the other ingredients, including the tomato sauce and cilantro, merely compliment the simple but tasty beans.
- Black beans - 4 cups, dried and soaked overnight
- Tomato Sauce - 6 cups (I used 1 can of cubed tomatoes with mild peppers, and the remaineder was plain sauce)
- Cilantro - 1 cup fresh, chopped finely
- Garlic - 4 cloves, minced
- Garden onions - 6, chopped (optional)
- Chili Powder - 1 tsp.
- Cumin - 1 tsp.
- Salt - 1 tsp.
- Pepper - a few grinds to taste
- The night before, rinse and clean the beans, and soak overnight in a large pan with several inches of extra water.
- The next morning, drain beans and place in a Crock-Pot with 1 Tblsp. of the cilantro and all of the other ingredients.(Save remaining cilantro for later.)
- Blend well and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- About 15-30 minutes before serving, add remaining cilantro to the beans and mix well. You can save some for garnish if you like.
Tags: beans, cilantro, crockpot, tex-mex, tomato sauce, Vegetarian
