The Joy of BLACK BEANS!!!

[kwormann]

OMG, I think they are the perfect food! I have been cooking them all day in the crockpot...driving myself nuts with the smell.

Now I am finally eating them with fresh cooked flour tortillas and white wine. SIGH, They are soooo wonderful!

[Gail]

...but of course they are... :)

[Wendy w]

Right on!!

If you can't wait, try the pressure cooker. ;)

[kwormann]

Originally posted by Wendy w
Right on!!

If you can't wait, try the pressure cooker. ;)

I dont have one... :(

[gabbyh]

So Kim...how the heck do you make the dried ones? I only ever use the canned...I'm sure the dries are much better...please share...

~Gail

[gymbrat75]

Sounds delish!
Are the flour tortilla's fresh (did you make these too)? If so, how????
please share!

danielle;)

[MISSINDI]

My two-year-old and dh love them as well. I have a slow cooker Cuban black bean recipe that is really very delicious ... hmm, might just have to put it on the menu again this week.

Hey Gail - haven't seen you in awhile! :D

[Terri-Lynn]

We love black beans, our favorite ways to eat them are in chilli and in CL's carribean black beans and rice.

Terri

[JackieO]

Originally posted by MISSINDI
My two-year-old and dh love them as well. I have a slow cooker Cuban black bean recipe that is really very delicious ... hmm, might just have to put it on the menu again this week.

Hey Gail - haven't seen you in awhile! :D

Ok, how about sharing it??? :p

[Gail]

Originally posted by MISSINDI
My two-year-old and dh love them as well. I have a slow cooker Cuban black bean recipe that is really very delicious ... hmm, might just have to put it on the menu again this week.

Hey Gail - haven't seen you in awhile! :D

Not sure which of us you're talking to since there are two Gails on this thread.

You mean the rest of the world doesn't eat beans multiple times per week? :confused:

[kwormann]

Gail, I overnight soaked the beans, then put large chunks of onions and crushed garlic in the crockpot with the beans and the soaking water and cooked them on high most of the day. I added kosher salt the last 30 minutes of so.

As for the tortillas, the local grocery store has uncooked dough which has been already pressed into rounds. All you do is place on a hot griddle for a minute of so on eachi side and PRESTO, hot tortillas that taste like a restaurant :)

Im planning on having more of them for breakfast today !!

NOw Im looking forward to a Baked Bean SOup that is on the menu for Tuesday....:)

[memartha]

Most interesting. I didn't know you could cook dried beans in the crockpot. I'd love to see other recipes/methods as well. Missindi--- I adore Cuban Black beans. Please share the recipe.

[gabbyh]

Thanks Kim,

Now is there an exact amount of beans to water? And how long will they keep in the fridge?

(Sorry for being a bean dummie:D )

~Gail

[gaja]

This is not a crockpot recipe, but here is my favorite black bean soup (and I tried many!). It is so flavorful and the garden stock makes a real difference.

BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH SHERRY
Karen Lee – The Occasional Vegetarian

1 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalk, chopped
10 garlic cloves, chopped
8 shallots, finely chopped
6 cups Garden Salad Stock (recipe follows)
1 pound dried black beans, soaked and drained
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 tsp Tabasco sauce
2 tsp ground cumin, preferably roasted
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 to 2 tsp salt
1/3 cup medium-dry sherry

 Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat for 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low, and add the onion, celery, garlic, and shallots. Saute slowly, stirring occasionally, until the moisture evaporates and vegetables begin to turn golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
 Add the stock, beans, ground pepper, Tabasco, cumin, oregano, and thyme and simmer until the beans are soft, 1 to 1½ hours. Stir once in a while to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
 When the beans are soft, add 1 teaspoon of the salt. Taste and add more salt if needed. Puree one-third of the soup in a blender or food processor and return the pureed soup to the pot.
 Add the sherry and cook for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6



GARDEN SALAD STOCK
Karen Lee – The Occasional Vegetarian

Green parts of 1 bunch medium leeks, well cleaned
3 plum tomatoes, cut in half
Handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)
Handful of fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 small onion
2 celery stalks
1 unpeeled carrot
Handful of lettuce leaves
¼ cup stems and pieced of dried mushrooms
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 quarts water

 Combine all the ingredients in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat; lower the heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
 Remove the pot from the heat and allow the vegetable to remain in the stock for 1 to 1½ hours. Strain the stock and discard the solids.

[kwormann]

Gail,

It isnt like rice, where the exact water is necessary. What you want is for the water not ot dry up....and there is less chance in the crockpot.

This am I put dried pintos in the crock (wo the overnight soak) with 1/2 can beer, crushed garlic, brown sugar and poured some boiling water over it. (I was out of onion). I used the boiling water since I didnt soak. I am cooking in high and figure it will take at least 4 hours....

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by kwormann


I dont have one... :(

Then tell DH. Like KA mixers, these are as good as jewelry. ;)

[kwormann]

Originally posted by Wendy w


Then tell DH. Like KA mixers, these are as good as jewelry. ;)

...better than!!!!

[Gail]

Not sure if Miss Indi saw your request for Cuban beans, memartha. I don't think crockpotting the beans would require any special treatment, to tell you the truth. Really, you'd make them pretty much as Kim did, but what makes the Cuban beans is the addition of a sofrito to the partially cooked beans, which is a sauteéd mixture of onion, garlic, green pepper, spices and ham or bacon (I come from a bacon family) and if you want, tomato. I vary how I make mine, always using comino (cumin) in the sofrito, and sometimes a bit of oregano. I may also toss in a tiny bit of cayenne or chile powder, but not much, since Cuban beans shouldn't be spicy. Oh, and a bay leaf.

Assuming MissIndi doesn't report back with said recipe, if you run a search I'm sure I've posted at least one recipe for Cuban beans (I think I only posted the one which doesn't include bacon or ham, figuring it was lighter.) I've got several recipes for them, but to tell you the truth, it's one of those things I don't usually DO with a recipe...

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by kwormann


...better than!!!!

I'll say. ;)

[Aubergine]

oh i know what you mean! i adore black beans. when i'm opening a can to use in a recipe, i'll eat half the contents right from the can and hafta go get another one.

in my mind, one of the most sublime combinations in the world is black beans and sweet potatoes. i didn't latch onto this until last year, when i found a soup recipe (at epicurious, i think) and it blew my mind. then i found that Jeanne Lemlin has a chili recipe using both ingredients. DD and i started experimenting with things like baked sweet potatoes stuffed with black beans & other items. you gotta try these two foods in combination if you've never had them together! i'll be glad to post those recipes if anyone wants 'em.

[meslgh]

Gail, what do you think of commercial sofrito? We made your Frijoles de Lata the other month, but we were pinched for time, and used storebought sofrito. Problem is, I don't really have a baseline, so I don't know if they tasted right or not (they were tasty, but salty). (BTW, do you KNOW how many posts you have made about black beans? It took me quite a while to search all the way back to the recipe. I take it you recovered from your spell of black bean overload.)

Aubergine, if you have any easy and fast black bean and sweet potato recipes, I would love them. I think the combo sounds delicious, but DH doesn't eat sweet potatoes, and I'm really lazy about cooking just for myself.

And don't forget Beans or Religous Experience-you decide. (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40863&highlight=black+beans+Madison%2A) (Smirk, the search feature won't work for "religious experience.") I have to say that I'm another fan of this great black bean recipe.

[kwormann]

Originally posted by Aubergine

in my mind, one of the most sublime combinations in the world is black beans and sweet potatoes.

We had this last week! I baked sweet potatoes, scooped out the filling, mixed it with light cream cheese, black beans, cumn, salt and red pepper and them put the filling back in. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

I have somecanned pumpkin that I thought Id try it with and put in tortillas.....

[MISSINDI]

memartha - I'll post the recipe tonight -- didn't see the request until now and running off to work. One of the ingredients is fat back.

Gail - the "anti planner" - of course I meant you!:D

[hollysmom]

I have found that if you spice the soak water before soaking the beans, that there is even more flavor - but toss that soak water and start over for cooking (to eliminate GAS!)

SSM

[Gail]

Originally posted by meslgh
Gail, what do you think of commercial sofrito?

Dunno. I've never used it. If you liked the results, use it. I know Vanessa has recommended its use in certain recipes and I trust her judgment implicitly.

...which reminds me that Vanessa has also posted black bean recipes (including pumpkin or sweet potato)...

[QBabe]

This is probably a really stupid question, but I'm new to the board. Where are the recipes posted? Are they just here in the threads, or is there a community recipes section?

:confused:

[Gail]

Hi QBabe,

This board doesn't actually HAVE a recipe section, which doesn't stop us from posting them. In the upper right hand corner of your screen there are two "search" areas. The top one is for the Cooking Light Recipe Finder, which contains a multitude of previously published recipes from the magazine (but not all of them.) In order to access the site, you'll need to be a subscriber or you'll have to obtain a password (in CL's cookbooks and magazine.) The other search button, by FAQ, is for postings here on the bulletin board. Enter the object of your search as succinctly as possible (phrases won't usually work) and I usually advise newbies to click "search titles only" whenever possible, so you won't come up with six trillion responses.

Welcome to the boards!

[QBabe]

Gail,

Thanks for the information. I am a subscriber to the magazine so I was able to get in by using the information on my mailing label and searched through some of the recipes yesterday. What I could never find was the one where you put in the password from the magazine, but since my subscription has processed, that's a moot point now.

And, I didn't know if there was a specific recipes section, but now you've given me that information as well. Now, I just need to get myself familiarized with the site and the boards.

Happy Monday!

[cher48603]

Originally posted by Aubergine
oh i know what you mean! i adore black beans. when i'm opening a can to use in a recipe, i'll eat half the contents right from the can and hafta go get another one.

in my mind, one of the most sublime combinations in the world is black beans and sweet potatoes. i didn't latch onto this until last year, when i found a soup recipe (at epicurious, i think) and it blew my mind. then i found that Jeanne Lemlin has a chili recipe using both ingredients. DD and i started experimenting with things like baked sweet potatoes stuffed with black beans & other items. you gotta try these two foods in combination if you've never had them together! i'll be glad to post those recipes if anyone wants 'em.

I'd be interested in the chili recipe (and any others you'd like to share):D
Thanks

[MISSINDI]

Sorry for the delay in posting. I misplaced my copy, but luckily gave it to a co-worker, so he sent it to me. Here you go! Let me know how you like it. :D

Cuban Black Beans and Rice
1 lb. dried black beans (2 cups), sorted and rinsed
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups water
2 T olive oil
4 tsp ground cumin
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
4 oz fat back, diced
1 beef bouillion cube

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat 6-8 hours, or until beans are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves. Serve beans over rice.

Finishing touch: Serve bowls of chopped red onion and hard-cooked eggs to sprinkle on top for a traditional black bean and rice dish.

[MrsReber]

Okay, I just have to ask- where does one find fatback? (and do I really want to add it? Will it jack up the calories) I have never ever cooked with it, but I am very into crock pot recipes these days since it really helps to have dinner ready when I get home from work.

[Gail]

Thyme? Canned chiles? Celery? That's a different take on Cuban beans. Thanks for posting. Will have to try this sometime.

PS 4 teaspoons of comino? Honest???

[MISSINDI]

Originally posted by MrsReber
Okay, I just have to ask- where does one find fatback? (and do I really want to add it? Will it jack up the calories) I have never ever cooked with it, but I am very into crock pot recipes these days since it really helps to have dinner ready when I get home from work.

LOL - it will add a bit to your calories, and more to the fat. It's a piece of fat from the outer portion of pork. Our local grocery stores usually sell it near the pork, ham hocks, etc. I think it definitely adds to the flavor, but you can get away without it.

[MISSINDI]

Originally posted by Gail
Thyme? Canned chiles? Celery? That's a different take on Cuban beans. Thanks for posting. Will have to try this sometime.

PS 4 teaspoons of comino? Honest???

I KNEW you would call me on that. Try it - I promise you'll like it. My husband (the resident Cuban) says it's the closest I've come to his grandmother's beans. I'll admit I don't always add the celery and don't think that ingredient really makes a different either way. :D

[KValley]

There are some wonderful dishes on this thread from the archives: Black Bean Recipes (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8540&highlight=black) These recipes opened up a whole new world of Phaseolus vulgaris atrus to me. :cool:

My current favorite standard Black Bean recipe comes from Steve Raichlen's Healthy Latin Cooking. I'll post at lunch...

[MrsReber]

Could I get away with maybe a bacon slice or two?

Uh oh, I've never even heard of comino. This board is so very interesting, but I may have to go to the store again! The things I learn here...

[MISSINDI]

Originally posted by MrsReber
Could I get away with maybe a bacon slice or two?

Uh oh, I've never even heard of comino. This board is so very interesting, but I may have to go to the store again! The things I learn here...

comino = cumin. You should be able to find that without any problem.

Yes, I think a few slices of bacon would be a great substitute. Let me know how it turns out.:)

[MrsReber]

Ah, cumin. Yep, I already have that. Whew! Thanks! And here I was thinking "I'm a pretty well versed cook. Why haven't I heard of comino?" I don't feel so bad now. Might have to wait until next week. I need an onion and I need some bacon. I have everything else.

[MISSINDI]

Originally posted by MrsReber
Ah, cumin. Yep, I already have that. Whew! Thanks! And here I was thinking "I'm a pretty well versed cook. Why haven't I heard of comino?"

I know the feeling! :D

[Gail]

Originally posted by MrsReber
Could I get away with maybe a bacon slice or two?

Uh oh, I've never even heard of comino. This board is so very interesting, but I may have to go to the store again! The things I learn here...

Not to upset the applecart here, but I usually find it takes about 4 strips of bacon for a pound of beans. I always pre-fry the bacon before adding it to the beans. You could also use a lean piece of smoked ham (not sure how much, but we could ask Vanessa.) Seems to me that either CL or the one issue of Gusto! had a lightened black bean which even used Canadian bacon. (I'm afraid the recipe did NOT get the Gail Seal of Approval, however.)

[Gail]

Originally posted by MrsReber
Ah, cumin. Yep, I already have that. Whew! Thanks! And here I was thinking "I'm a pretty well versed cook. Why haven't I heard of comino?" I don't feel so bad now. Might have to wait until next week. I need an onion and I need some bacon. I have everything else.

I'm sorry I confused you. For some reason, I've always called it comino rather than cumin. Since I'd included the translation on the post in which I was talking about sofritos on page 1 of this thread, I didn't worry about saying comino on this page.

[deniseannsc]

Do you serve your cuban beans over yellow rice? MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!

denise

[MISSINDI]

Originally posted by deniseannsc
Do you serve your cuban beans over yellow rice? MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!

denise

LOL -- only white rice here. Yellow rice we serve by itself or as paella. I agree though - yummy stuff no matter HOW you serve it.

Gail - I would agree with at least 4-5 slices of bacon, but I got the impression MrsReber was trying to cut down (or out) the fat in the recipe. :)

[Cloner1]

Kindly remove Todd Wilbur's clone of the T.G.I. Friday's Black Bean Soup. While we appreciate your giving the recipe proper credit, when visiting the Top Secret Recipes web site you agreed to the following terms:
http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/terms.htm
Please refrain from posting our recipes in the future in any forum.
Thank you,
Top Secret Recipes, Inc.

[MrsReber]

Gail, I guess I need to hang out here more often and read more of these threads! :D The only problem is that it sometimes gets costly and it makes me very hungry. Well, now I'll know what comino means next time I see it. :)

And on the bacon, yes, I was trying to keep it on the lighter side. I think of beans as being so healthy that I cringe to think of throwing a bunch of fat in with them. I know it adds tremendous flavor and I'm sure I've unknowingly eaten plenty of beans with fat. It's just that when I cook things myself, I try to cut back where I can. I could try the Canadian bacon instead. I hate to sacrifice flavor.