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I love richly flavored black beans served in Mexican restaurants. Now you can make them at home with only six ingredients and minimal effort.
Whenever I post about beans one person inevitably mentions avoiding them due to digestive issues. I learned from Ali at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen that this is usually caused by a lack of fiber intake. This was true for me. Increasing my fiber intake solved any unwanted digestive problems.
Cooking Beans
We’ve been eating more beans lately. I was insistent on mastering bean cooking in the pressure cooker. Pound after pound, my best efforts yielded a blown-out mushy paste. Meatballs, chicken, and soups are no challenge at all. But me, beans, and a pressure cooker seem to be a recipe for disaster.
A painful surrender culminated in my red enameled cast iron dutch oven simmering away with black beans and aromatics. Needing no attention, I sat down with a stack of text books. Before long I was surrounded by warmth and comfort. Smiling, I was reminded that sometimes letting go is the best solution.
Uses and Leftovers
The latest batch of black beans has been wholly enjoyed with cilantro-lime marinated pork one night and as breakfast burritos with eggs the next. I’ll finish them off for lunch today with some quinoa accompanied by jicama and cucumber salad.
Health Benefits
Beans in general are a good source of fiber, which can help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar. Black beans in particular are quite nutrient dense. Named one of the world’s healthiest foods, they’re also a good source of folate, iron, magnesium, and when combined with a whole grain make a complete protein.
A Fun Side Note
On Sunday, I finally met my good friend, Alta from Tasty Eats at Home, along with Natalie from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine and Karol, The Dallas Gourmet Food Examiner. Alta and I started a group called the Dallas Food Bloggers – she graciously gave me credit for the idea on her blog but the truth is that she was able to connect the dots between all the different bloggers. There would be no Dallas Food Bloggers without her.
Alta took all the pics so instead of trying to top her fabulous post, I decided to just send you her way.
School has been wild – it’s final exam week for some classes, midterms for others. Couple that with volunteer events and cater-outs…I’m happily exhausted. Missing my blog and the interaction has spurred me toward hope for some sort of balance. I do have culinary school stories to share in the coming weeks.
Reminder – I’m hosting Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! this month and it’s all about Guiltless Pleasures. Read about how to submit your post here. You don’t have to be a gluten-free blogger to participate – so please share a gluten-free dish with us.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry black beans, rinsed and picked over
- 1 medium onion, diced small
- 4 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 2 – 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and sort beans. Cover beans with filtered water, making sure water is 2 inches higher than the beans, and soak overnight or for 6 hours.
- Drain beans and place into a large sauce pot or dutch oven. Cover with filtered water, making sure water is once inch higher than the beans. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Skim any foam off the top as it rises. Once there is no more foam, add the onion and garlic. Let beans simmer for 45 mintues or until they start to soften. Add cilantro and 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt.
- Continue cooking for another 30 to 45 minutes until beans are very soft but still intact and the broth has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve as desired. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers. When reheating, add water to if needed to get the right consistency.
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Julie Lynn
posted on March 5, 2010 at 11:58 am
Amy,
You are amazing! You’re juggling so much and doing a great job. =)
I have just the opposite problem with beans in the pressure cooker. Mine are chronically undercooked. Must be the altitude out here.
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Alta
posted on March 5, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Awww, you’re so sweet. You did a LOT of the Dallas Food Bloggers leg work – I SO appreciate it!
These beans sound amazing. Black beans are one of my favs.
As for the “toleration” issues, in spite of my high fiber intake (I routinely eat 25-30 grams per day), I still am sensitive to beans. Might be due to the other “gut” issues gluten intolerance has blessed me with, not sure. But as long as I spread out several days in between my beany meals, I’m usually okay. Also, black beans seem to be easier on me than a lot of others. A few other tricks I follow – I soak beans, and change out the soaking water. I also cook them with kombu, which is supposed to help take away some of the issues. Seems to lessen the effects. I need to make a pot of black beans – yum! I love them any way I can get them. Simmered like this, refried, whatever!
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Amy Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
@Alta, I always appreciate your feedback, insight, and tips. I’ve found that some people just don’t know their fiber intake and eat beans once and have a bad reaction. They decide all together that it’s the food’s problem. Shirley at GFE has taught me that it can take 6 or 8 months, sometimes longer, for some people with serious gluten intolerances to heal. So many things eaten during that healing period can be an issue.
I had this problem when I first started drinking green smoothies. It took a while for my body to adjust.
I also have some ‘gut’ issues when I eat anything fried or really greasy – because I never eat anything prepared that way.
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alice johnson
posted on March 12, 2010 at 12:04 pm
I just made these this morning and my husband just said, “I can’t stop eating them!” They are SO good and they may not even last until dinner! On another note, are you still teaching your cooking class anywhere? I am looking for a gift to give my sister for her birthday and she would love to take a class! It is kind of hard to coordinate, she is in Houston and I am in Indiana. Take care!
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Valerie @ City|Life|Eats
posted on July 25, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Hi Amy – I have made this recipe a couple of times and love it – I do have a question for you. I was using black beans I bought out of the bulk bins at Whole Foods but my doctor told me to cut out bulk bin purchases because of cross contamination (I always thought it was ok because that area of bulk bins did not have any gluten-containing products in the selection) – I was curious what brand of dried black beans you purchase and if you have found one that is certified gluten-free? I have yet to find one and as a result have not made black beans in a while – so would love any input on brands.
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Amy Reply:
July 30th, 2010 at 11:44 am
@Valerie @ City|Life|Eats, I buy whatever is in the store – bulk foods don’t bother me but I don’t have Celiac disease. I buy my beans in a bag and it’s usually just the HEB brand but sometimes I see some organic beans and buy those. I don’t know if they’re certified GF or not – but like I said I’ve never had any trouble.
If you do find a GF certified brand, I’d love to know about it. Hugs!!
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Brenda
posted on March 28, 2013 at 6:53 pm
Hi Amy ~ Just curious. During the first 45 minutes of cooking the beans, they are covered. After adding the salt and cilantro it says to continue cooking another 45 min. or so until the broth thickens. I didn’t want to assume that you leave the lid off during the 2nd 45 min. Please advise. Thanks
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Amy Reply:
April 1st, 2013 at 8:18 pm
@Brenda, I generally leave the lid on when cooking beans but I don’t think it could hurt to have them uncovered. You might just loose more liquid during evaporation. One of my burners runs really hot and I often do leave things uncovered or partially covered to get the right temperature and the dishes turn out great.
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