Delicious, and easy to make, these beans were great for a weeknight meal. I found this recipe to taste even better the next day, so you could make a large batch of these to use throughout the week. The beans could be added later on to a rice bowl, a salad, or to spice up a quinoa dish.
If you’re a beanaphobe-try beans in different ways. People avoid beans because they feel that they upset their stomach. Really, it’s your body just getting used to digesting more fiber. This will subside as your diet changes over to a higher fiber base. Greater fiber in your diet is good for many reasons. 1) It helps you to feel full for longer 2) decreases spices in blood sugar, as higher fiber foods take longer for the body to digest 3) helps to fight inflammation in the body 4) lowers cholesterol, 5) lowers caloric intake, as higher fiber foods are typically nutrient dense, not calorie dense, 6) prevents many forms of cancer, and is 7) great for diabetics and heart patients. In addition, beans are packed with potassium and many other antioxidants. Try increasing your intake of beans and see how you feel as your body becomes more accustomed to this food.
We make our own beans for several reasons. Dried beans are more economical and you can purchase them in bulk as well as organically. You can monitor how much salt you put into your beans (we usually don’t add any). By soaking and cooking your own beans, you avoid BPA-lined containers, as well as the waste of cans. Finally, we feel they just taste better! Making your own beans is a hands-off process for the p=most part. We soak them the night before, drain and rinse them, and then cook them in a pressure cooker. For black beans, this takes 12 minutes once the pot comes to pressure. That’s all there is to it!
This recipe was adapted slightly from a course I’m taking called, Rouxbe. It’s a plant-based curriculum and a wonderful place to learn how to incorporate more plant-based meals into your life. Plant-based foods have been shown to decrease cholesterol, improve heart health, fight diabetes, obesity, and improve general health and wellness. Check it out www.rouxbe.com
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of minced onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped banana peppers
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of vegetable broth
- 2 1/2 cups of black beans (if using canned about 1 1/2 cans, be sure to drain and wash if using, if wanting to use 2 cans, up your liquid slightly)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4-1/2 cup chopped scallions
Instructions:
- Add oil to a warm saute pan. Add onions and allow to sweat on low temperature until translucent and softened. About 15 minutes
- Add cumin, garlic, and banana peppers and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Combine broth and water (or could use only water), and add to pan along with beans. Add salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
- Cook until water is reduced and beans have thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in fresh lime and scallions. Season with additional salt/pepper if needed. If you want more of a re-fried bean texture, smash them with a potato masher.
- Serve atop warm corn tortillas with our Garden Fresh Foodie Salsa, avocado, tomato, and lettuce. !Buen Apetito!
Nutritional Benefits:
- Plant-based and gluten free
- Low in calories and very little fat (less than 1 g), no saturated fat, & cholesterol free-excellent for healing and preventing heart disease
- High in fiber-more than 10 grams of fiber in the beans alone! Great for digestive health, regulating blood sugar, decreasing inflammation in the body, and increasing satiety, great for diabetics
- Great source of plant-based protein: more than 10 grams/serving! Reduces inflammation, fights and prevents many forms of cancer, helps repair damaged tissues
- Good source of Vitamin C-antioxidant that helps to boost immunity
- Good source of iron-helps with oxygenation of the blood
- High in potassium-good for kidney and nervous system function
- ½ cup of minced onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- ¼ cup chopped banana peppers
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of vegetable broth
- 2½ cups of black beans (if using canned this is 1½ cans, be sure to drain and wash if using. If you want to use 2 cans, up the liquid slightly)
- ¼ tsp salt
- pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ¼-1/2 cup chopped scallions
- Add oil to a warm saute pan. Add onions and allow to sweat on low temperature until translucent and softened. About 15 minutes
- Add cumin, garlic, and banana peppers and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Combine broth and water (or could use only water), and add to pan along with beans. Add salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
- Cook until water is reduced and beans have thickened, about 15-20 minutes.If you want more of a re-fried bean texture, smash them with a potato masher. Stir in fresh lime and scallions. Season with additional salt/pepper if needed.
- Serve atop warm corn tortillas with our
- Garden Fresh Foodie Salsa
- , avocado, tomato, and lettuce. !Buen Apetito!
