Super Simple Spicy Black Beans {Secret Recipe Club}

November 5, 2012 By

Super Simple Spicy Black Beans at Authentic Simplicity

So you know I’ve been such a good girl lately, almost completely eliminating sugar from my diet (or attempting to) and significantly reducing my consumption of refined carbs. And then what blog was I assigned for November’s edition of The Secret Recipe Club? Sweet as Sugar Cookies, of course!
Secret Recipe Club
If you haven’t visited Sweet as Sugar Cookies, then you’re in for a treat. Literally. If your sweet tooth is as powerful as mine, you’ll feel like a kid in a candy store with all the delightful desserts Lisa offers up: Honey Ginger Chai Bars, Lime and Coconut Crumble Bars, and Pumpkin Spice Thumbprints, to name just a few.

Oddly enough, though, I settled for a savory recipe, probably because I was feeling the effects of indulging in way too much sugar at Allume and afterwards and needed to balance all that with a little bit of healthiness. Since I had some black beans in the pantry, I chose to make her Spicy Black Beans, which was actually from a Secret Recipe Club event a year and a half ago.

What I love about this recipe is its simplicity. (You might not know this about me, but I like things to be simple. And authentic.) Just dump everything in the pot and simmer for a few minutes, then done! That’s my kinda cookin’, friend!

I will say this: I highly recommend you get in the habit of cooking up dry beans in the crock pot and freezing them so that you always have cooked beans on hand when you need them for a recipe. It’s the simplicity of canned beans without sacrificing the authenticity of the “real thing” (not that canned beans are terrible; but dried beans are definitely better).

Super Simple Spicy Black Beans

Recipe: Super Simple Spicy Black Beans

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can)
  • 1 cup chicken broth (reduce or eliminate if using canned beans)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. chili powder
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until peppers and onions are softened and much of the liquid has evaporated.


Find out how you can join the Secret Recipe Club, too, and partake in all the fun (not to mention the good eatin’!). And be sure to check out all the other bloggers’ delicious takes on their secret bloggy spy mission by browsing through the links below.


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Black Bean Chili with Avocado Mousse {Recipes from Avocado Lovers}

June 18, 2012 By

Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy: Black Bean Chili with Avocado Mousse We are avocado lovers around here. Well, my boys and I are. My DH doesn’t much care for them (although he enjoys my Chicken Pizza with Avocado Ranch Sauce well enough). But ever since my boys were babies, they’ve been eating avocado straight up like it’s candy. Delicious, wholesome, healthy candy.

I’ve experimented with avocado in baking - still working on that one - and in smoothies (Shamrock Shake, and Choc-Ocado Smoothie), as a pasta sauce, and - naturally - in guacamole. Recently, though, Avocados from Mexico challenged some of us bloggers to create new Mexican-inspired recipes using avocados. My mind naturally goes to guacamole when I think of Mexican avocado dishes, but I wanted to do something a little different. As yummy as guacamole is, and as fun as it is to create different variations of it, I embraced the opportunity to come up with something I’ve never done before.


Avocado Mousse is what I ended up with, although not the typical dessert variety (I’ve had the chocolate one - it’s yummy!). Nope! I went with a savory version, and served it atop some black bean chili. Yum! Black beans and avocado were made for each other, don’t you think?

If you’re an avocado lover, too, you can find a whole treasure trove of avocado inspiration at Recipes from Avocado Lovers. There’s a whole section there devoted to guacamole if that’s your preferred method of avocado delivery, but if you’re a little more adventuresome, you’ll find ideas for Avocado Ice Cream, Baked Eggvocado, Mexican Lasagna, and a whole lot more. You can also upload your own favorite avocado recipes so others can enjoy them, too.

Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy: Black Bean Chili with Avocado Mousse

Black Bean Chili with Avocado Mousse

Ingredients

Chili:

  • 1 lb black beans (rinsed, soaked, and drained)
  • 5 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1-2 jalapeno peppers
  • 1 small sweet red pepper
  • 1 TBSP cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 1-2 tsp salt

Avocado Mousse:

  • 2 small avocados
  • 1 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1 TBSP fresh cilantro (or a few sprigs)
  • dash salt
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

Instructions

Chili:

  1. Place the beans and broth in a slow cooker and cook on high for 2-4 hours or until beans are softened.
  2. Add garlic, onions, corn, peppers and spices, and cook for an additional hour or two. Serve topped with avocado mousse.

Avocado Mousse:

  1. Pulse the avocados, lemon juice, cilantro and salt in a food processor or blender (I used my VitaMix on speed 3-4) until smooth and thick. Remove from blender and fold in yogurt or sour cream. Pipe or spoon onto chili before serving.


It’s not exactly QUICK because you have to soak the beans and everything. But the hands on time is minimal. And the avocado mousse is a special touch that takes less than a few minutes.

The slow cooker makes it EASY! So does the VitaMix.

Beans are CHEAP, so they make a great frugal meal anytime! And I found Organic Avocados from Mexico at Trader Joe’s in a package of 4 for less than $4, so they were pretty cheap, too.

Wow, this dish is so HEALTHY! The healthy fats from the avocado and yogurt, combined with the protein and fiber from the beans make it a delicious combination that is really good for you.

Submit a recipe to the Recipes From Avocado Lovers website from Avocados From Mexico

Are you an avocado lover?

 

This post contains affiliate links.
This sponsorship is brought to you by Avocados From Mexico who we have partnered with for this promotion.

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Guest Post: Quesadillas and Bean Dip for Cinco de Mayo

May 5, 2011 By

Today Amy from A Little Nosh, is sharing her Cinco de Mayo menu with us! But before we get started with that, just a reminder that we have ONE package of GreenLine Green Beans left to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment on my Facebook page!

I live outside of Washington, D.C., a veritable melting pot of cultures. My son goes to a preschool with kids from many different nationalities, backgrounds, religions, and skin colors. I love to see him experiencing the diversity that I didn’t have growing up. I love that my son is exposed to a beautiful cross-section of people. To me, an important part of parenting him includes exposing him to different cultural celebrations.

Cinco de Mayo is a perfect opportunity to discuss Mexican culture, and what better way to start the lesson then with a delicious meal? But first, I needed to find out what exactly Cinco de Mayo is.

Did you know that, contrary to popular belief, it’s NOT the Mexican day of independence? Nor is it a holiday created by the good folks at Corona. It’s actually a celebration of the victory of the Mexicans over the French in 1862. Who knew??

Anyway, we like to keep things pretty simple here at A Little Nosh. Some bean dip and quesadillas are a perfect backdrop for discussing and celebrating this important day in Mexican history.

 

 

Bean Dip

Half of a 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper

1. Put black beans in a Magic Bullet or food processor and process, adding water as needed, until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Does it get any easier? Also, I ran out of tortilla chips so I just made my own by cutting tortillas into triangles, spraying with cooking spray, dusting with salt, and baking at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. This works best with corn tortillas.

Chicken Quesadillas
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 Tbsp water
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, but into small thin strips
1 cup (or less) Mexican blend cheese
A mixture of red peppers, green peppers, and onions, cut into small thin strips
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp vegetable oil
Medium sized flour tortillas

1. Combine taco seasoning and water, and toss with chicken to coat.

2. While chicken is marinating, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a saute pan and add veggies, cooking until peppers and onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. Using a grill or a grill pan, cook chicken 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked all the way through.

4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a nonstick skillet. Place a tortilla in pan, and sprinkle with about 1/4 cup cheese. Add some chicken and veggies and top with more cheese. Place another tortilla on top. Place a lid on the pan and heat quesadillas for about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until tortillas are golden and cheese is melted.

5. Top with salsa, sour cream, more cheese, whatever floats your boat. I like to use a pizza cutter to cut the quesadilla into quarters.

This recipe is meant mainly as a guide, as quesadillas can be personalized in a zillion different ways. Instead of taco seasoning, marinate your chicken in salsa. Instead of peppers and onions, substitute broccoli. Add more cheese, less cheese, more filling, less filling. Experiment and see what you like. You can’t do this wrong.

Enjoy and have a great Cinco de Mayo. And a special thanks to Quick Easy Cheap and Healthy for allowing me to quest post. Happy birthday!
Amy is a mom to a three-year-old who keeps her smiling every day, wife to a handsome, funny, smart husband, and a full-time title insurance underwriter (exciting, huh?). She lives in the Washington, DC suburbs in a tiny condo, with an equally tiny kitchen. She doesn’t have time (or space) for fancy schmancy recipes, so most of what you’ll see on A Little Nosh are very simple and user-friendly recipes.

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