why I love Black Beans

My parents are in town with us, so I'll be posting some generic food-related posts instead of giving and play-by-play of their trip here.  I thought it would be fun to share a bit of what eggrollmama feeds to her baby eggrolls all the time!  

Black beans are hard to get here.  And if you can find them, they're pretty expensive - like, $3 a can.  (Oh Walmart, how I miss your 76cents GV Black Beans!)  Nevertheless, I still find myself buying them a lot since I use them for so many things.  

I've got a little black bean concoction that I make, and it's so versatile.  You can use it to make mexican black bean soup, quesadillas, southwestern eggrolls, or serve over rice with cheese when you feed a crowd.  It's like J. Crew jeans for food.

Here it is:

In a bowl, mix:

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can (or equivalent) diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 chicken breasts, diced and cooked
• any other veggies you like - diced onions, bell peppers, jalepenos, diced green chilis, etc

Mix it well, until it looks wonderfully colorful.

Then, start to season it.  This mixture is hard to overseason, so don't hold back.  I just shake things ito the bowl until it starts to have the combination of smells that I've come to recognize instantly.  You can customize this based on what your family likes.  Here is a rough idea of what I use:

• 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder (or more?)
• 1/2 Tablespoon cumin powder 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt? (hmmm...maybe I should measure more when I cook?)
• a shake or two of cayenne pepper
• lime juice, maybe 1/2 teaspoon
• liquid smoke, just a few drops

You could add in hot sauce, chipotle pepper, or any other mexicany spice you like.  Mix well.

Mine usually looks something like this:

At this point, you could just leave the bowl in the fridge and wait for inspiration.  Here are some different ways we use this for meals:

• Put in a baking dish for 25 min (around 170C, or 350F).  Serve hot over rice; add grated cheddar to the top.  (This is probably our favorite way to eat this!)
• Add a package of Southwestern Philly Cooking Cream (or make your own with plain cream cheese & taco seasoning), milk and water to make a yummy soup!  Serve with chips.
• Use the filling to fry up some fab quesadillas!
• Have your helper make a load of mini-tortillas and wrap up a spoonful or two with some cheese (use a toothpick to make them stick)to make southwestern eggroll  (think Chili's).  Stick in your freezer.  When you're ready to eat them, fry them for 5-6 min with oil around 375f.  Everyone will recommend that the party always be at your house if you make this - which may change your mind about making them.  =)

The eggrolls take a little time, but for the other meal ideas, this is about as simple as it comes.  Open the can, mix and season, and heat.  So easy.  So good.