Black Beans!

Have you ever had creamy black beans that were delicious and just the right consistency? Ever tried to make them at home? I have been working on just that. When Vanda was here with us for the twins' first three months, she would make black beans and rice every Thursday to celebrate Jude and Petra turning another week old. Vanda grew up in Brazil where black beans are the staple! Her beans are awesome and once she left I wanted to continue eating them. I tried to cook them in my crock pot but they just weren't good. After a few tries of this and that, I tweaked a recipe for black beans in one of my cook books to create my own style. Try this if you want to enjoy some creamy Brazilian black beans! And it is less than 50 cents per serving!!

Buy a bag of dried black beans (16oz). The night before, rinse them well and let them soak in clean water over night. You will use the soaking water, so make sure you rinse them first. The next day, leave about 3 hours to do everything, but most of it is hands-off. Put the beans AND the soaking water into a pot. Add more water to cover the beans by about one inch or inch and a half. Don't add more water than this or they won't be creamy. Bring the beans to a boil- very important step! Once things are boiling, turn heat down to a simmer and skim off the foam from boiling process. Cover the beans a let them simmer for about 2 hours. Maybe a little longer. Ok, now for the other ingredients, which you can add as soon as things are simmering. Add 1 table spoon of veggie condensed broth"Better Than Boullion" (you buy it in a little jar, it's like a thick paste). Also add 4 or 5 tablespoons of Sofrito (may be hard to find- goya makes it- look in mexican isle). You may like to add more Sofrito, so taste it along the way. You don't need to add salt because the broth and sofrito have plenty. Add a bay leaf if you want, I don't add it every time. Then chop up one onion and one green pepper. Saute the onion in a little oil before you add it to the beans. Add garlic if you want. Add the green pepper straight into the beans. Let it all cook. That's basically it... a couple hours later you will have creamy black beans! Cook up some brown rice, add a salad and you have a delicious cheap meal that' s good for you. Sometimes I add hot dog pieces, it's up to you. I get about 6 servings out of this recipe, we eat it two nights in row. Let me know if you like it or improve on it in anyway!