Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 1/2 cups Minute Brown Rice

Directions:

Saute onions and garlic in a small amount of liquid (the original recipe
called for oil, but I just used a little water) until tender. Stir in
tomatoes, beans, water, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice.
Return to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove
from heat. Let stand 5 mintes.

Serves:

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• Uncooked black beans (about half the volume you want to end up with)
• Garlic cloves
• Onion
• Oil (I use olive, Nicaraguans use cottonseed (which they consider a poor substitute for lard, which is hard to get), you also can use any bland oil like canola or safflower, or you can use none)
• Salt to taste (optional–I never used any for a long time but started again after too many emergency room trips for dehydration. The beans taste fine either way, depending on your tastes)
• Chopped fresh tomato (optional)
• Lime (or lemon) juice (optional)
• Additional seasonings of your choice

I learned this recipe while living in Nicaragua, so it is authentic
(the family I lived with even had the same type of pressure cooker I
do). I have not changed it at all except where indicated. I
recommend using black beans (also known as turtle beans) because this
recipe is designed for them and I think they taste the best. But you
can experiment with any kind of beans you like or have access to (try
Mexican style with Pinto beans or Dominican style with pinkish-white
beans (whose name escapes me at the moment)).

This is an easy recipe, but it does take a lot of time (like baking
bread).

Seasonings: Nicaraguans didn’t use anything else. My last batch
had fresh dill and cilentro (yum). You can also add hot spices or
anything else you like (add at the end and taste the beans first, you
may not “need” anything at all.

Clean (sort out bad beans and rocks, if any) and wash beans. Cook
until soft. I use a pressure cooker; it takes about 2 hours. If you
don’t have a pressure cooker, soak the beans in cold or room
tempurature water overnight and cook in a pot. As they begin to cook
is the time to add salt, if you use any, and some whole cloves of
garlic (unpeeled is fine). You should end up with extra bean-water.

Prepare a large frying/saute pan or a pot. I recommend non-stick if
you have it (especially if you plan not to use oil). The family I
lived with used cast iron. You have a choice here of refrying all the
beans, or just enough for one meal (pick the size of your pan/pot
accordingly).

Heat oil in the pan and add chopped onion (chopped garlic too if you
forgot it when the beans were cooking or just like it a lot). Saute
onions until slightly brown. (Note: if you don’t use any oil, add the
onions after you add beans. The onions will have a different flavor.)

Take the pan off the burner for a second, quickly add as many beans as
you plan to cook and lots of bean water (stand back, it will
splatter). Now comes more waiting. If you are impatient (or hungry),
cook the soupy beans down once (30-45 minutes). If you want more
flavor (and have the time), cook the beans down several times (keep
adding bean water or regular water (cold or room tempature)). This
process can take several hours. The longer you cook the beans, the
sweeter they will be. The texture will be softer and smoother too, so
don’t do this if you like your beans to have individual personality.
If you only add a little water at a time, you can stop the process on
quicker notice (disadvantages: you are more likely to burn the whole
panful). Stir a lot when there is little water, a little when there
is a lot of water.

Zero to 10 minutes before you finish cooking, add any of the following
optional ingredigents: chopped tomato, fresh herbs, lime/lemon juice
(about one teaspoon per large serving of beans–this adds flavor and
helps cut any greesiness).

Serve. These can be a side dish or center piece dish. Serve with
rice, tortillas, potatoes/yuca (cassava root), fried eggs (if you eat
them), or whatever you like. Store in fridge (I haven’t tried
freezing) and reheat as often as you like.

Variations:

A very common Nicaraguan dish is Gallopinto (’guy-oh-’peen-toe–named
for the colors of the rooster (gallo) and pinto). To make it, add
cooked rice when you add the beans to the frying pan (about 50-50 or
to taste or availability). Cook down once.

If you cook the beans down a lot but keep the final version soupy, you
will end up with black bean soup. Such soup is a Cuban (and Dominican
and Puerto Rican, I think) dish, but I don’t know enough about Cuban
cooking to tell you what to do with the soupy beans to make them the
full dish.

Serves:

Beans:

• 3 lb cans french cut green beans or
• 2 small bags frozen french cut green beans or
• 3 boxes frozen french cut green beans

Marinade:

• 2/3 cup oil
• 1/2 cup vegan sugar
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon salt

Make one day ahead. If frozen beans are used, cook first. Mix
marinade and toss with beans. Heat thru before serving.

This makes enough for a crowd, but can be cut down for 2-4 servings.

Serves:Serves:Serves:Serves:

• 1C dried black beans (Soaked 4hrs. in 4C water)
• 1C chopped onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1t chili powder
• 2 small bay leaves
• 1C chopped celery
• 1C chopped carrots
• 1/2t black pepper
• 4C water
• 1/4C green olives, stuffed with pimientos (salad olives are fine), rinsed and drained (if desired)

Combine drained soaked beans and everything but the olives in a pot.
Bring to a boil and hold there about 10-30 minutes, cover. Simmer
about 2 hours. Stir in the olives. (Or stir in olives about 15
minutes before serving.)

This should not be soupy, nor should it be too gloppy. Watch it
carefully in the last 45 minutes of cooking (30 minutes before you add
the olives).

Serve with rice or corn and whatever you want. Serve hot. Serves
about 4.

Serves:Serves:Serves:Serves:

• 3 cups navy beans, cooked
• 1 onion
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon prepared vegan mustard
• 1 or 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon rum

Chop the onion and saute until soft. Combine with all other
ingredients, including a little of the water from cooking the beans,
and bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Very
simple, very good, a bit on the sweet side.

Serves:Serves:Serves:Serves: