• Two cups of dried beans. I prefer black (turtle) or pinto beans, although chili, kidney, navy and most other beans work quite well.
• Eight cups cold water
• Five medium onions, finely chopped.
• Eight cloves of garlic, crushed.
• Three to four tablespoons of sliced, bottled jalapeno peppers, finely chopped. (typically used for nachos, Vlassic and La Victoria are fine). Add more if you want a very “hot” version of these beans.
• Juice and pulp of one fresh lime.
• One tablespoon of commercial chili powder.
• One half teaspoon ofcayanne pepper. More if you want scorching beans.
• One and a half teaspoons of salt.
• Black pepper, about 12-15 twists on a pepper mill
• Ten good “squirts” of Crystal or Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce (or Tobasco, or you favorite. I like Crystall’s extra-hot).
• One six once can of tomato paste.
• Three tablespoons of veggie stock for sauteing.

1.) Saute chopped onions for about ten minutes using veggie stock.
Add crushed garlic and jalapenos and saute for five more minutes.
Saute until mixture is lightly carmelized. Be certain not to burn
garlic or peppers.

2.) Inspect beans for any foreign debris. Remove debris and wash
under cold tap in a collandar. Drain throughly.

3.) Bring eight cups of bottled water to a rolling boil in a large
sauce pan or pressure cooker. Add washed, dried beans, cover pan and
remove from heat. NOTE: Do not heat water at this point if using a
pressure cooker.

4.) Allow beans to steep for one hour. No need to soak overnight as
this causes the beans to ferment, imparting a bitter taste. Do NOT
change water at this point, or a loss of taste will result. NOTE:
Skip this step if using a pressure cooker.

5.) Add onion/garlic/jalapeno pepper mixture to the bean and water.
Add all remaining seasonings and ingredients to the sauce pan.
Mix THROUGHLY with a wooden spoon.

6.) Cover beans and simmer on very low heat for 2 1/2 hours, or
pressure cook at high pressure setting for 55 minutes. Stir beans
occasionaly when using a conventional sauce pan.

7.) Allow beans to cool to room temperature and then freeze or
refrigerate.

8.) Allow beans to develop for at least 24 hours in refrigerator.
They keep for at least two weeks in my refrigerator, and months in the
freezer if properly packaged for storage.

9.) Enjoy

Serves:

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 2 cup Cooked black beans
• 1 10oz pkg frozen whole kernel corn
• 1 cup raw white rice (can use brown, but should parboil a little)
• 1 jar (16oz) thick and chunky mild salsa
• 1.5 cup V8 (or you can blend together 3/4 cup canned diced tomatos with green chiles and 3/4 cup water)
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

Heat oven to 375′ Combine all ingredients, stir to mix and bake for
1.25 hours, or until rice is tender, and casserole has started to
thicken. Serve with tortillas. Enough for four servings.

Serves:

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 1 can Kidney beans
• 2 cups brown basmati rice, cooked
• 1/2 medium vidalia (yellow) onion, diced and sauted (carmelized)
• 3 tablespoon diced sundried tomato (gives a tangy bite to an otherwise sweet dish)
• 1 tablespoon dried bazil
• 1/4 teaspoon red/cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon cumin (I didn’t try this)
• 3 slices acorn squash, cooked and diced small (1 cup or more)

Directions:

Heat up kidney beans then mash beans with their liquid. Mix spices and
tomato with sauted onion, heat 2 minutes. Mix rice with mashed beans, add
onion/tomato mix, simmer 2 minutes, add acorn squash. Serves 2.

This has a pretty robust look to it, tastes sweet, spicey and a bit sour due
to the tomato. Capers may be added (1 tbs/cup) for a green juicy note. The
tomato may be wrong for this dish since the contrast is great, YMMV.

Serves:

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 1 bunch (app. 20 med. leaves) collards
• 1 cup FRESH butter beans (limas or blackeyed peas would work too)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 or 2 fresh hot peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup vegan white wine
• 2 bayleaves

Directions:

put the vegan wine in the pressure cooker and add the rinsed beans, the
bayleaves, and enough water to cover. put the heat on medium to
medium high, and do not cover (yet). let the beans simmer as you
prepare the greens: rinse each leaf, devein, stack flat on top of one
another, roll them up tightly, and slice across the roll to shred them
nicely. add the onions to the beans and cook until just
translucent. add the greens and the hot peppers and mix well. put the
lid onto the pressure cooker and bring up to pressure. cook at
pressure for about 3 minutes. cool the cooker under cool water.
serve the beans and greens with your favorite vinegar (like apple
cider, balsamic, or rice).

Serves:

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 1 large green pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 cans (16 oz) undrained black beans
• 1 jar (4 oz) sliced pimientos
• 3 tablespoon vegan red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Directions:

Saute pepper and garlic in liquid of your choice 3-5 mins, until’
tender-crisp. Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to boil, simmer
5-7 mins., till tender. Serve with rice. (Adapted from Woman’s Day,
4/26/94)

Serves: