Basic Black Beans

Black Turtle Beans have always been one of my favorites for a side dish or even center of the plate sometimes. It is a dense bean with a meaty texture and a flavor a little like a mushroom. I think those factors make it pretty versatile. If I am making this a center of the plate entree I usually add ham or another meat because I like to. If you don't it is a great veggie item. The ones pictured here are made with just a few ingredients and served over rice, it has:

3 Cloves Garlic minced

1 Small Onion Diced

about 1/4 cup Diced Red Bell Peppers

1 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 can of Diced Tomatoes (about 1/2 #)

1 can of Black Beans

1 tsp Cumin

Saute the Garlic, Onions, and Peppers in Olive Oil until the onions are translucent then add the tomatoes, Black Beans and Cumin stir it all together cover and let simmer for a while so the flavors marry nicely, I probably let it go for about half an hour. If you feel like it you can make this ahead and reheat (I think it tastes even better!)

The Rice I am serving it over was even easier. I minced one clove of garlic and about a TBS of red bell peppers together in oil and sauteed, then put in 1/2 cup of rice and cooked over high heat until everything was coated and hot then I added 1 cup of water covered and turned the heat to low for about 20 minutes.

When the Rice was done it was ready to serve, isn't it beautiful? The tomato covered thing in the background is the steak I made to go with this dish I will talk about that in a couple of days.