Black Bean Extravaganza

I always keep a lot of canned and dried beans in my cabinet. My siblings think it has something to do with me being the eldest and the fact that my mom also stockpiles (and my mom stockpiles because she grew up in the 60's...and probably that is what HER mom did...but I digress). So whenever I want something comforting, easy and inexpensive, I look to my bean supply and figure out what to make. In my last post I told you about a new bean salad, but my tried and trues have got to be Black Beans and Rice, Empanadas, and a new one to me (but not to my tastebuds) the taquito.

Black Bean & Cheese Empanadas
This is a GREAT recipe to give away, as it's a little time consuming to make, but I typically double the recipe and have enough little 'pockets' to throw some in the freezer, and have on hand for a quick meal or lunch for my husband to take to work. (He is leftover KING).
You can really add what you want and like to this mixture, obviously there are the basics. I vary this each time depending on what I have in my cabinet or fridge. This time my empanadas had:

• 3 cans of black beans, washed and drained
• green pimento olives. I use about 10 large sliced thin
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped finely but not minced (which is just my preference, mince away!)
• 1 large white or yellow onion, minced
• 2 packages of Goya Empanada discs. You can get these in the frozen section of your grocery store in the 'ethnic foods section' (ridiculous, I know, but there it is). These come in white and a reddish color. I've used both but find that the white looks a little more appetizing for savory.
• about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil for frying
• 10-20 cubes of cheese (I use pepper jack)
• 1 small can of chopped tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste

Add the beans, garlic, onion, olives and tomatoes to a pot and simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat and let cool. While this is cooling, take your discs out of the fridge or freezer. These need to be cold but pliable. When beans have cooled enough to handle, take one 'disc' and put a spoonful of beans in the pocket and a cube of cheese in the center. Fold in half and press closed with your fingers being careful not to drip any of the mixture out (the first couple of times it will drip out, it's delicious, just lick your fingers). Then take a fork and press around sealed edges, then flip and do the other side. This ensures that the pocket is closed and makes for easier frying and transport. Do this to as many pockets as you are making. Add oil to frying pan, wait until oil is hot enough that when you stick a fork in it, bubbles form around them (small). Drop as many pockets in as you can without them touching in order to make flipping them over easier. They need about 2-3 minutes on each side. They should have a light brown color in various places on either side. Take out of the oil and onto a paper toweled plate. Let cool. Do this to all the pockets. Plate and serve! I usually serve with salsa and salad. These are also grate reheated. Just put them in an 250 F oven for about 15 minutes or until heated through. While the frying portion of this can be difficult to do with a 2 year old, preparing the bean mixture, and letting her press the fork to seal the pocket is a great way to include your child in the preparation of this portion of your meal.

Johnny Cakes
These are great little additions to a meal and can be made with the above, although I prefer to have them when having a large salad OR a soup or stew. But we were having some people over and I was CRAVING them. I happened to have a mix of them and just whipped it up. I find it's something that a lot of people haven't had before, but are familiar with the taste and texture so it feels comforting. A Johnny cake is basically a friend biscuit. You can either get a mix in the ethnic section of your grocery store, or make from scratch. They have a cornmeal and milk base and can be made flat or like a biscuit. Serve them sweet or savory and feel free to add cheese or herbs to the mixture to spice it up!

• 2 cups cornmeal
• pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoons of butter (I prefer unsalted)
• 1 cup milk (I use 2% because it's what I have in my fridge, use what you have, but I would suggest that the smaller the percent, the more water instead of milk you are adding to your mixture, so your cakes will have a slightly different consistency)
• hot water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

Mix or cream (depending on if you are doing this via hand or mixer) the cornmeal, salt and butter together. I tend to do this by hand and use my fingers to do this as I like how it feels and I like the control I have over the batter. Add milk and a little bit of hot water (just to make the mixture a little more moist, but make sure it is still firm but pliable!!)

Add oil to frying pan and allow to heat up until when you put a fork in small bubbles appear around the fork. Drop in the batter by the spoonful and do about 4 dollops at a time (4 cakes). Fry for about 30 seconds and flip. Cakes should be a golden brown color. Transfer to a paper toweled plate and let cool. Serve when warm.

How did Zara help? Well she helped me mix the batter! While she doesn't LOVE getting her hands dirty, I usually add some cheese to this mixture so when she gets bored she can shred and then eat cheese!

Black Bean & Squash Taquitos
So we were going to a friend's for dinner and the theme was 'Mexican'. I had a bit of my empanada mixture left and I wanted to use it up. So I sliced up some squash that I had bought at a local farmers market (really any type of squash will do as long as you slice it thinly. I sauteed for just a couple minutes in some vegetable oil until soft and then I added my leftover bean mixture to heat through. In another pan I took a package full of corn tortillas and 'fried' each one until pliable, about 30 seconds. I then took them out of the oil and spooned some of the bean/squash mixture along the middle and rolled tightly immediately. I then placed into a long glass dish. I did this until all of my tortillas were gone. I then baked in a preheated 400 F oven for 25 minutes or until crispy. This is a fabulous starter or great as a main with a salad. How did my daughter help? Well she picked out the squash and as I sliced the squash I let her throw it into the saute pan (with supervision of course!)