Basic Black Beans
1 pound dry black beans
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1+ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (1 teaspoon is mildly spicy)
1 bay leaf
5-6 cups water or stock
1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours. (No need to pre-soak beans when using the slow cooker.)
Serve with rice and salsa. Try substituting chili powder for the oregano and adding some macaroni, tomatoes, corn, etc. for a black bean chili.You could also mash with salsa and heat in a skillet for burrito filling, mash and mix with vegan bread crumbs to pan-fry for mexi-burgers, blend thoroughly and thin with stock or cream-like sauce and serve as soup, or mash well and serve as bean dip.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
My husband loved these, although I thought it could use more seasonings. Might try that next, although this would be great for a kid who is not into spices yet!
This was ok. It is just as the recipe says... basic. But it is great when you don't have alot of time and you know your going to be home late so dinner is waiting for you.
I used this recipe as a base for a black bean chili recipe I wanted to modify for cooking in the slow cooker.... the "low" setting for the time specified did not get my beans tender enough, so I had to turn it up to high and let it cook longer. This may just be a quirk of my slow cooker though (it's fairly new, so I haven't made much with it yet for comparison...). I added tomatoes, green chilies, and additional spices to make it into the chili recipe. Overall, this was good and I will make it again (but on high). the sauce turned out really good.