I was glad to have soaked the beans over the weekend. On Saturday, I threw a quart-sized mason jar of dried black beans into the crock pot and covered them with water. By Sunday evening, I was ready to begin.
First, I drained out the water and rinsed the beans, refilling the crock pot with filtered water until the beans were covered. Next, I sauteed one organic yellow onion in coconut oil until translucent and added five or so cloves of organic garlic. Then, I tossed the spices in: 2 tablespoons of cumin, 2 tablespoons salt (or maybe 2, and a pinch of red pepper. After stirring the mix all up, I dumped it right into the beans. Lastly, I added a few bay leaves to the pot and stirred it all up.
That’s it! Next, I put the crock pot on low and went to bed. When I left for morning yoga, the aroma left my nose and stomach anxious to try their first meal of the day.
This simple dish went on to become breakfast, then dinner, when I mixed the beans with some slivers of hard goat cheese and left-over rice pasta from the previous night. All this was accompanied by a parsley and mustard salad with Bragg’s Vinagrette (my current favorite).
Most salad dressings are made with canola oil, which I tend not to use from its reported link to certain cancers. Sallon Fallon knows what she’s talking about in this article regarding this “healthy” oil: http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/conola.html
To summarize the recipe of the day:
- 3c. beans (black, in this case)
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons red chili
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon curry (optional)
Soak the beans overnight. Drain water, rinse, and place in crock pot or other large pot. Add filtered water until beans are covered again.
Sautee the onion in coconut oil over medium heat until onions are soft, then add garlic. Next, stir in all spices and cook for another minute. Empty onion/spice mixture into crock pot and stir.
Cook for 5 hours on high or 10 hours on low. For non-crock people: Cook the beans for 3 hours on medium heat, adding water as it is absorbed.
Recommended with: rice, quinoa, salad, goat cheese (if you are not sensitive to dairy)
3 comments
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April 29, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Liz W.
Yay - I love that you are sharing your amazing cooking skills via blog!! Keep ‘em coming
May 2, 2008 at 12:22 am
Chow
How are they a “magical fruit”? I hear this often, but I am confused because beans are legumes, and not seed bearing, which calls into question their status as fruit….
In all seriousness, I do take the Weston A. Price stuff with a bit of salt, especially after hearing about their take on soy. After doing some digging, I found just as much literature refuting their claims as there was supporting them. Fortunately I don’t worry about using canola oil since I cook everything in duck fat anyway…..
May 2, 2008 at 11:08 am
greenhealing
Hi Chow,
I like the Westin A. Price website since the style of diet approximates more of the indigenous and paleolithic-type diets which, in the clinical experience of many physicians I work with, is more apt to promote good health. In my personal experience and more limited clinical experience, I have found this diet to promote more lasting energy by stabilizing blood sugar and to reduce inflammation, which is important for people with auto-immune conditions and for wellness, in general.
I think we should all remember that while the nutrition information on the site might be controversial, so is all information on nutrition. What makes the most sense to you and gives your body an elevated sense of wellness is probably the best.