Thursday, May 28, 2020

Frijoles Negros (The Best Ever Seasoned Black Beans)

Frijoles Negros or Seasoned Black Beans are amazingly delicious; just a handful of ingredients produce lip smackingly yummy beans! With a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot, cooking beans becomes so easy and quick. Do try to cook the beans if possible rather than using canned for the wonderful and rich taste. See Ode to Beans or Basic Black Beans for more ideas on cooking beans. Any leftovers maybe used as filling for tacos/burritos/tostadas etc. or in the delicious Black Bean and Corn Casserole, BurgersCuban Black Bean Soup, or Casamiento

Black Beans belong to the superfood family of legumes; they are typically served as part of meals in Mexican, Central & South American, and other cuisines. Cooking beans is quite simple and very cost effective. Similar to most beans, black beans have negligible amounts of fat. They are a great source of protein, fiber, and thiamin. Black beans are loaded with anthocyanins and also contain good amounts of iron, calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorous, manganese and folate.

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect food than beans. One cooked cupful can provide as much as 17 g fiber, which is something most people do not get very much in a typical diet in most developed countries. Beans are packed with protein and dozens of key nutrients, including calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Studies tie beans to a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and many cancers. The latest dietary guidelines from World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research recommend that we make whole grains, vegetables, fruit and beans the major part of the diet to prevent many types of cancer as well as other diseases. So do enjoy delicious and diverse vareities of beans: pintos, mung, black, white, kidney, lentils, and numerous other ones. Use them in snacks, starters, soups/stews, casseroles, salads, as topings for baked potatoes, and for sandwich spreads.

Served with rice and/or warm corn tortillas, a bit of salsa and one's favorite hot sauce, Frijoles Negros makes a comforting and hearty meal. Besides being wonderful served simply, black beans are delicious in may recipes. The beauty of beans is that they freeze well also. Freeze the cooled beans in freezer containers for up to 3 months.

NOTES:

Chile Morita (smoked dried jalapeño chile) adds a lovely deep and smoky flavor to the beans.

Soaking is not a prerequisite; but soaked beans do cook faster and I find them tastier.

If you don't have the Mexican Seasoning Mix, a chili spice mix maybe used instead. If using a purchased spice mix, you may need to add more cumin and oregano to taste.

12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Black Beans
Salt for soaking
1 Chile Morita (optional)
1 Bay Leaf
1 small Onion, finely diced
1-2 Green Bell Pepper, finely diced
3-4 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp EACH, dried Oregano and ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 small bunch Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
3-4 Green Onions, finely sliced
Lime Cilantro Rice or Plain rice to serve

METHOD:

Sort the beans for debris; rinse well, add 2 tsp of salt, and soak in plenty of water to cover for a few hours. 

Drain the soaked beans and place in a large pot with the bay leaf and morita chile if using. Add water to cover them; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered until very soft. Remove and discard the chile if you wish; I mash it into the beans.

Alternately, pressure cook the beans, usually they are done in less than 20 minutes using a pressure cooker or the Instant Pot!

Cook the onion, bell pepper, garlic with a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of water until the vegetables are softened.

Stir in the spices and herbs along with the beans and cooking liquid.

Mash the beans slightly with the back of the spoon and cook for a few minutes stirring often until slightly thickened.

Remove from heat and let rest for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cilantro and green onions.

Serve hot with the Lime Cilantro, plain rice, or warm tortillas.

Buen Provecho!!

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