Big pot of black beans for soup, tacos, over rice, or a million other ways.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic (6-ish whole cloves, peeled and crushed)
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped or pulsed in a food processor
• 0.25 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Put beans, garlic, onion, and liquid smoke in a pot. Fill with water until there’s a couple inches over the top. Boil for a few minutes, then simmer for 2-ish hours or until beans are done. Add water as needed, but allow the onion and garlic to form a starchy sauce around the beans.
2. Add lime juice and salt to taste.
3. Serve over rice, in burritos, with eggs, on their own, with crusty bread … etc.

Notes

• Swap lime juice for orange juice if you have one and not the other
• White onions work more or less as good as yellow ones
• Add some diced poblano pepper for a little spice - about half a pepper w/ no seeds for kids

Variations

Moros y Cristianos

Cuban black beans, served with white rice. Cook veggies until edges are browning and most of the liquid has evaporated from them, perhaps 10 minutes, then add to pot with beans and seasonings.

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 2 green bell peppers, finely diced
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 0.25 cup lard or bacon fat
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 fresh bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• Red chili powder, to taste
• salt, to taste

Beer can beans

Cook the bacon, set aside. Cook veggies until edges are browning and most of the liquid has evaporated from them, perhaps 10 minutes. Add beans and water. Add beer and bacon at the end.

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 4-6 slices bacon
• Half a yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 poblano, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and chopped
• 1 can of beer (something light and hoppy)
• salt, to taste