Mexican Black Beans

admin January 31, 2011 Adventures in the Kitchen, Main dishes, N's Diet (high-protein, low-carb)

Inspired by How To Boil Water: life beyond takeout, from the Food Network. But their version is “baked mexican black beans” and I didn’t want to bake it, and they use canned tomatoes, and I don’t like them (BPA), and, well, mine’s just a touch different.

1 pound dried black beans, soaked
3 slices bacon
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 t cumin
2 bay leaves
6 cups liquid (water, chicken broth, champagne…)
1 jalapeno
1.5 t salt
pepper
a bunch of tomatoes, chopped (the recipe calls for a 14-oz can, diced; I used about 8-10 good-sized romas)
1 T cider vinegar

1. cut bacon into littel pieces; cook on med in a dutch oven until almost crisp. Add garlic, onion, cumin, and bay leaf. Cook until tender.

2. Add beans, liquid, the whole jalapeno, salt, and some pepper (a good grind or two). Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any tasty bits from the pan bottom. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for ~1 hour.

3. Add the tomatoes & their juices. Cook until tender (~1-2 more hours), covered. Add 1 T vinegar.

Serve over brown rice with your choice of toppings (feta, cilantro, sour cream, salsa, etc)