Tag Archives: black beans

“Stove Top” Baked Beans

“Stove Top” Baked Beans

Late yesterday afternoon Bruce and I were invited to a backyard barbecue at my sister’s home with family and friends.  We never go to somebody’s home empty handed so I offered to make some Baked Beans to share.  My sister made pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw so the Baked Beans were a perfect addition to the feast.  We socialized with friends, played bean bag toss games and competed ferociously at foos ball for hours.  We all had a wonderful time!

I had only a couple of hours to prepare the beans so I thought I’d cook them in a dutch oven on the stove rather than firing up the oven.  And I am pleased to say that the stove top method worked.  My “Stove Top” Baked Beans were delicious and I completely sold out by the end of the evening.  My Baked Beans are an interesting combination of black beans, great northern beans and little sweet aduki beans.  They are similar to a Southern Style Baked Beans but with a distinct Asian flair.  Instead of molasses, I used sweet Indonesian Soy Sauce.  I also added zesty Sriracha and floral scented Szechuan pepper for a bold and unique flavor.  These beans tasted so good that the “carnivores” in the crowd had no idea that the beans were vegan too!  Makes 12 servings.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 15 ounce can black beans (drained)
  • 1 – 15 ounce can great northern beans (drained)
  • 1 – 15 ounce can aduki beans (drained)
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 tsp canola oil
  • 1 – 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Indonesian Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tbs Sriracha sauce
  • 3 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp ground Szechuan pepper
  • 1 cup water
  • salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Begin by grabbing a dutch oven or cast iron pot with a lid.  Heat dutch oven on stove with a medium flame and add canola oil.  Add onions and cook until translucent or about 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, turn stove down to low and cook partially covered for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours stirring occasionally.  Add water if the beans are too thick, or remove the lid and cook longer if the mixture is too thin for your liking.  Taste and correct your seasonings and serve.  Makes 1 1/2 quarts or 12 servings of “Stove Top” Baked Beans.

Black Bean Salsa

Black Bean Salsa

I gotta tell you… My brother in law makes the best fish tacos.  Better than anyone that I know.  And lucky for us, we were invited to dinner last night.  I am not one to ever go to someone’s home empty handed so I made some salsas to share.  First of all, I made my Black Bean Salsa and a yummy Restaurant Style Salsa by Tia at iamsimplytia.com.

My black bean salsa is good for you and super simple to make.  It has tender black beans, red onion, juicy grape tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, lime, and spices.  Both salsas were great additions to last night’s dinner.  As far as the fish tacos go…  I will share the recipe at a later date.  They were simply scrumptious.  Meanwhile, I hope that you enjoy the Black Bean Salsa.  We sure did!  Tessa

Black Bean Salsa Ingredients:

  • 1 15 ounce can black beans
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • juice of one lime
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp jalapeno pepper finely chopped (I like to use more)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste

Begin by grabbing a medium sized mixing bowl.  Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Lightly toss and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors marry.  Serve with chips, put in burritos, tacos, salads or serve as a side dish.  Makes about 2 1/4 cups.

Tia’s Restaurant Style Salsa.  You gotta try it, it’s really good!  Thanks Tia!  Click here to get the recipe.

Black Bean Soup

 

Black Bean Soup

I’ve spent the morning digging around my lap top’s hard drive looking at some old photos.  I happened to find this photo of a bowl of my Black Bean Soup. I really liked the photo and back then, my family thought that my soup was pretty good.  I took this shot a few months back when I was first learning how to use my camera.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s been over a year and I still don’t know how to completely use my camera!  My camera is an Olympus E420 DSLR type camera that my husband gave to me as a gift.  He bought it with the intent that I just might use the camera for family photos and that I just might take pictures of vacations and special events.  Little did he know that he would help create a food blog monster…

Anyways, if you get the chance, make my Black Bean Soup.  It’s tasty, hearty and perfect for a cold winter day.  It has black beans, ham, vegetables and has a wonderful southwestern inspired flavor.  Any leftovers can be frozen and used at a later date.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb dried black beans (soaked overnight or about 8 hours)
  • 2 quarts chicken broth
  • 1 pound ham, chopped
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped 
  • 2 -3 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1 cup carrots, chopped
  • 8 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 Tbls. garlic paste
  • 2 tsp. dried cumin
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. dark chili powder
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • sour cream, chives and paprika for garnish

Put your black beans in a bowl and pick over.  Picking over means checking for small rocks or foreign material.  I know that it sounds weird but if you want to chip a tooth or lose a filling then omit this step…  Add water and let soak for about 8 hours or overnight.  Rinse and drain.  In a pot with a tight fitting lid add the beans, ham and 2 quarts chicken broth and cook on low until beans are tender or about 2 hours.  Buzz with your hand blender for about 30 seconds or until smooth (optional).

In a pan sauté the chopped onion, pepper, celery and carrots in olive oil until the onions turn light golden brown.  Add the vegetables to the pot.  Now add your garlic paste, cumin, coriander, chili powder, oregano, and black pepper.  Put the lid on mixture and cook on low, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour.  Taste and correct the salt level if needed.  Add a bit of water if the soup is too thick for your liking.  Garnish with sour cream and fresh chopped chives.  Makes about 3 1/2 quarts of soup.