|
We are trying to eat less red meat, with it being so bad for the
environment and all. We are exploring new ways to get protein into our
diets. I mean, one can only eat so much chicken. I happen to love black
beans and have been playing around with them. I think that tonight, I
finally perfected them.
We had black beans and rice for dinner, and it was superb. Here I was
hoping for leftovers, and my family devoured the whole pot.
I served
the black beans with basmati rice (the only
rice in my humble opinion!). And if you haven't invested in a rice
cooker yet, run, don't walk, to buy one now. I'll wait. I'm telling
you, rice cooks absolutely perfectly every single time. No more
scraping out burned grains of rice from the bottom of a saucepan or
sopping up overflowing bubbling water in the microwave. But I
digress...
For tonight's dinner, I served black beans and rice, honey
roasted plantains, corn, and pineapple and cantaloupe. If avocados
weren't so dang expensive I would have served this meal with corn
tortillas and home made guacamole. No one even noticed that meat was
missing from our plates. And let me tell you, my sons love some meat.
I never measure when I cook so here's my best guess on what went into my delicious black beans:
Finely
chop half an onion and a clove of garlic. Saute in a bit of olive oil.
When the onions are translucent, add a drained can of black beans. Toss
in about a teaspoon of cumin, chili powder, and Cajun spice mixture
(Hey, I never claimed this was going to be authentic.) Add a tiny tish
of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Add a little bit of water
so it doesn't stick to the pot. The consistency should be like a stew.
Stir and simmer for 20 minutes. Squeeze in the juice of half a lime and
stir before serving over rice. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. It
makes the beans and rice taste fantastic and acts as garnish too.
Oh, a cold beer is the perfect libation to accompany this meal. I enjoyed a Fat Tire, new to North Carolina.
|
Tips and Advice 
