Meatless Monday - Embrace the Bean

I strive for our family meals to be (not necessarily in this order):

1) Nutritious

2) Easy

3) Unprocessed

4) Inexpensive

5) Organic

No doubt about it, beans fit the bill in every way. There’s little better than a luscious and amazingly aromatic pot of lovely, made-from-scratch beans simmering on the stove on a chilly fall day. I love beans in all shapes and sizes but my heart belongs to the beautiful black bean.

·      Nutritious: Recently it’s been discovered that black beans have more health benefits than most other beans due in part to their dark outer layer. They’re a delicious source of dietary fiber and absolutely packed with antioxidants. (Read: a good protector of cancer, heart disease and aging.)

·      Easy: It’ll take about 10 minutes prep time and about 3 hours of simmering on the stove (with very little care or concern, except for the occasional stir) to make a large batch of tummy-pleasing black beans.  You’ll probably spend more time wrapping Christmas gifts.

·      Dried beans are completely unprocessed with nothing added.  A true whole food.

·      Inexpensive – A batch of black beans that feeds 6-8 people will run you less than fancy deli sandwich – about $6-7. or less  ‘Nuf said.

·      Organic beans are easily obtained at most grocery stores.

Beans are versatile so we often use them in our weekly meal plans in such stuff as tacos and enchiladas, over brown rice, a topping for mixed veggies with cheese and on and on…  Try pureeing these beans and thinning with a bit with stock to make a hearty soup.  (Top with diced roasted red bell peppers and sour cream for some serious yumminess.) After making the black bean recipe listed below we usually freeze about half of it for future use.  They'll keep in the fridge for about a week, you can freeze for about 3 months.

BLACK BEANS

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp of olive oil (or bacon fat if you really want to kick the flavor up a notch)

2-3 cups of chicken stock

2 medium onions, grated or chopped finely

1 ham hock - optional (you can find good ones at Whole Foods)

1 bag of dried black beans

2 cloves of chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste, other spices such as cumin and chili flakes depending on your yen for kick, heat and

And away we go:

Heat oil in heavy pot (I use a Dutch oven) and add onions and garlic. Cook until translucent and add ham hock.  When ham hock is slightly browned, add beans and stock. (Use enough stock to just cover the beans and keep more at the ready....)  Bring pot to simmer then turn down to low and cover, leaving small crack between pot and lid.  Stir occasionally and add water as needed, always keeping the beans slightly covered with liquid.  Cook time is about 3 hours, depending on how soft you like your beans.



(I'm no food stylist and it's hard to make beans look good in a picture so I used one of my fave bowls to take your attention off my bad photo...)