Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Zesty Black Beans with Cooling Tomato and Avocado - and a contest reminder

This is a great dish to warm you up on a cold day.  The farmer's market already has the first avocados in, and I was lucky to find a good tomato in the store.  The spice in the beans is tempered by and paired perfectly with the tomato and avocado.  Served with roasted potatoes, it makes for a tasty, complete meal.

Zesty Black Beans with Cooling Tomato and Avocado


Dinner is served!

Just to remind you that you can still vote in the Circle of Moms contest for the top 25 veggie moms.  I was fortunate enough to be nominated, and I have several bloggie friends in the competition with me.  The nice thing is there's plenty of room for a bunch of us.  So, if you would like to vote (for me?), you can just click on the pink badge in my top left corner, and it will take you to the site.  Just scroll down to find me; I appreciate your vote!  You can vote once every 24 hours.

Zesty  Black Beans with Cooling Tomato and Avocado

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried black beans, sorted for grit
Water to cover
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne
4 Serrano peppers, seeded and chopped (wash your hands after handling)
6 - 8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 tomato, cut in quarters and sliced thin
1 avocado, chopped small

Directions:

Place beans in a large pot and cover with enough water so that water level is about two inches above beans.  Cook on medium heat for two hours.  (If you want to soak the beans overnight to remove potential gas "issues" from them, you can do that as well.)  Keep water level about one inch above beans during cooking process.  Once they've cooked for two hours, add the salt through the garlic.  Cook another 45 minutes on medium heat. Turn heat to low until beans are completely tender.  At this point, you don't want as much water, just enough to keep them moving around but not soupy, but you don't want them super thick either.  Once beans are completely cooked, turn the heat off and add the tomato and avocado.  Serve with roasted potatoes for a complete meal.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

6 comments:

  1. Excellent source of protein, omega-3, and cancer fighting tomato...two thumbs up!

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  2. Black beans and avocados are just meant for each other, I think. Especially if the black beans are spicy. The fact that you get avocados at the farmers market is too much for me. After I saw what people in California consider normal farmers market fare, I really don't know what to say.

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  3. I just voted for you again. This is an agressive side of you I've never seen before.

    Nice recipe, BTW.

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  4. Yum. I don't eat black beans anywhere near as often as I should but I did just pick up some nice avocados. I agree with Andrea; they are so perfect together.

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  5. Millie, thanks for those thumbs!

    Andrea, my avocados have made you speechless!

    S.V., yes, totally out of character - next post there will be a change. dum dum dum.

    FF, they do go well together, I agree!

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