black beans

[desh]

So what's your favorite way to cook/spice a can of black beans? For making beans and rice or something? Actually never done this before, and I know that the beans just heated plain from the can are quite bland.

Vegetarian, please. And thanks!

Comments

[kathmandu]

For beans and rice? Drain off liquid from canned beans, add to cooked rice, heat gently while stirring in garlic powder, cumin powder, salt, black pepper.

Quantities of seasoning are always 'until it tastes good to you' --- sprinkle a little on, stir in, taste, repeat until it tastes good.

[kathmandu]

That is, add the beans to cooked rice. I usually discard the packing liquid from the beans.

[gool_duck]

Chop an onion.
drain the beans: pour all the water out of the can.

heat oil in a pan.
put spices in the oil: cumin seeds (about half a teaspoon. Or use powdered cumin) , paprika (I like paprika. About spoonful) pepper, chilli flakes (a very little, because I don't like it too hot),
after maybe 10 seconds
add the chopped onion to the pan.

After a few minutes the onion goes yellow,
Add the beans and stir

Add a can of chopped tomatoes
Stir, add some salt (~teaspoon)

turn the heat down and leave for a while, put a lid on it


realise you need rice, boil water . When the water is boiling, add rice to it. stir, leave at a boil for about 10 minutes,

A good time to wash the chopping board, the knife, rinse the bean can for recycling, wash a plate to eat off, etc.

check if the rice is ready, if not give it another couple-five minutes
stir the beans, if they're sticking to the pan you can add water,

When the rice is ready, drain it.
Remember to turn off the heat under all the pans.

Variations: You can use mustard seed or fennel seed or coriander seeds, in addition or instead. You can add dried herbs, I think thyme works with this.

[libitina]

Do you ever have trouble finishing a jar of salsa? It doesn't often happen to me, but this is an excellent use when it has just started to taste a bit fizzy and won't last more than a couple days.

Rinse beans and dump in a pot. Add salsa remnants. Put some warm water in the salsa jar and shake to get any last tasty bits then pour into pot.

Cook.

Taste. Fiddle with spices (cumin is good, also oregano).

When desired consistency, nom.

Glop.

[wetdryvac]

Cook up buttered, spiced rice - if using a rice cooker, I just toss about a tablespoon of butter in per cup of rice, a pinch of garlic, and a crushed cardamom pod. If I'm cooking the rice in a pot, I grease the bottom of the pot with butter before adding the water and rice, and then use a little less butter over the top.

I heat olive oil, just enough to coat in the pan I'm going to mix everything together. Large fry-pan by choice. To this I add some thin-sliced onion, tomato, basil, and garlic (I prefer fresh, but the last two can be powder/flake as well), and when that's sizzling gently (I turn down the heat), I add a teaspoon or a bit more of green Thai curry, and let it heat another couple minutes on the lowest fire I can get from my gas stove.

Once the rice is done and the beans are warm I glop everything together, grate some cheese over it, and add sour cream. Proper consistency should make a peculiar sucking sound when a spoon is run through it.

[metawidget]

Chop roughly equal quantities celery, carrots and onion into smallish bits (1cm or so) -- probably somewhat less in total than your can of beans. Fry in butter or oil until they get a little more vibrant and start to smell good. Add cumin to taste, stir and fry a bit longer, then add to canned beans and heat/stir thoroughly. It's still on the simple side, but it'll add some nice flavour while letting the beans be themselves.

My go-to lunch is brown rice + beans + oil with Stuff on top.

[yarngeek]

I've seasoned canned black beans (rinsed until they don't foam anymore) and brown rice with just about everything in my pantry, but I think the classic treatment is a little bit of butter, some salt and pepper, and some sharp, sharp cheddar. Sauteed carrots and celery welcome.

Other things I've done to black beans (with rice and some olive oil):
Cilantro
paprika
chili powder
cumin
coriander
vinegar (cider or rice)
mustard
Avocado
sundried tomato
black olives (green for the white beans)
feta
red peppers
basil
oregano

White and garbanzo beans are really good with cilantro, mayo, pickles, and/or sesame seeds. I think they're more willing to play with celery or peas than carrots, which go really well with black beans.

I'm going to stop myself before I go on all night.