Black Beans Bonanza

To be honest, black beans are not my favorite bean. In fact, I used to get annoyed when Craig would use black beans instead of kidney beans in recipes. But I have come around with a few recipes.

Now canned black beans aren't that expensive but I normally like to use dry. Soak overnight in a big bowl with water and a tablespoon of lemon juice. In the morning, drain and rinse. I like to do mine in a crockpot all day, just add enough water to cover by about an inch and set to low. In about 6 hours, they should be done. Even if I only need a small amount, I make the whole bag and freeze the extra in 2 cup increments. 2 cups is about the same as a 15oz can which makes it easy to substitute in recipes. Now onto the recipes:

Beany-Cheesy Burritos - This is an adaption of a Sweet Potato Bean Burrito recipe from allrecipes. I've made some substitutions as well as altering the steps so that you can make the filling with only one pan. Sweet Potatoes sound like an odd thing to put in burritos but it works. This is one of Craig's favorites because it is tasty and really hearty for a veggie meal. It's one of my favorites because while there is a bit of prep work, it only takes about 45 minutes to make and it makes several meals worth (they freeze well)!

3-4 Sweet potatoes
1T oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups black beans (that is about a whole small bag cooked or 3 15 oz cans)
1 cup water
3 T chili powder
2 t cumin
4 T prepared mustard (the kind you put on hotdogs, not the spice)
Pinch cayenne
3 T soy sauce (naturally fermented is best)
12-16 Large Tortillas
8 oz cheddar cheese

Microwave the sweet potatoes until soft (or bake in the oven but I always forget to do this ahead of time and don't want to wait that long). Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. If you don't have a fairly large skillet, you might want to use a pot since this makes a lot. Saute the onion and garlic until soft then add the beans and mash. It's easiest with a potato masher but I've used a wooden spoon before. Add the cup of water and stir in the spices, mustard and soy sauce.

By now the sweet potatos should be done. Peel and mash them. Then add to the bean mixture and stir to combine. If the bean mixture seems to be getting too dry, you can add more water. You want the mixture to be thick but you don't want it to burn :-) Continue heating until warm.

At this point, your sweet potato/bean mixture will look incredible gross and you will be worried.Don't panic, it doesn't look appetizing but it taste good. Now you just have to fill the burritos, top with cheese, roll up and bake/freeze. I can normally fill 14-16 9" burritos which is about 5 meals (They are pretty filling, I can normally only eat one but Craig can handle two).

To bake now, put them in a casserole dish and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

I freeze them in ziploc bags then to bake after freezing, let them thaw overnight (or a few hours if I forget to take them out which I often do :-) then bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. You can also microwave them straight from the freezer but I think they taste better baked.

I serve topped with lots of lettuce, tomatos, salsa and sour cream. See how much better that looks.

Black Bean Salad/Dip - One of my standard potluck dishes mostly because it makes a lot more than the two of us can eat but unfortunately doesn't keep very long.

15oz/2cups black beans (if using canned, drain and rinse)
1.5 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
3 plum tomatos, chopped
1/2 c cilantro
2 T Lime juice (about 1 lime's worth)
1 T Olive oil
1/2 t sugar
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle cumin (optional)

Combine all ingredients and chill for several hours. Serve as side salad or with tortillas chips as a dip.

What about you, how do you fix black beans?