Although I really like refried beans , sometimes am looking for something a little different and sometimes I want to experience the texture of the whole beans. It is times like these that I like to simply simmer the beans along with onions and some spices. Those spices tend to always include some toasted and ground cumin seeds and then some chili heat. The chili heat often comes n the form of some toasted and ground dries chilies but sometimes I am looking for something a little bit easier and freshly diced jalapenos work really well in this case. I don’t know what it is, but there is just something about warm and creamy beans that is just so addictive! I could easily eat a batch of these beans in one siting! Mashing a few of the beans so that there is a creamy ‘sauce’ surrounding the remaining beans is always nice as well.
Jalapeno Spiced Black Beans
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon corn oil
- 1 small onion (chopped, optional)
- 1 clove garlic (chopped, optional)
- 1 jalapeno (diced)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground, optional)
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed) (or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans, from 1/2 cup dry)
- 1/2 cup water (optional)
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, jalapeno and cumin and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the beans and water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Mash some of the beans with a fork if desired.
I wanted you to know I tried this, and it was so good & also so easy! Even my fussy 16 yr old dear daughter tried it, and liked it (she ate it with tortilla chips)!
Guess I never thought about how easy a side dish like this could be…thanks for showing me how! I added two small, large diced tomatoes (garden fresh!) while it was simmering!
Wish I had made the cilantro lime rice…next time!