Poblano Pinto Beans

Cooking beans from scratch is one of those processes that is really worth it. It creates a rich broth, adds flavor to the bean itself, and boosts the nutritional profile by loading up the cooking liquid with herbs and vegetables. These pinto beans are cooked with onion, garlic and poblano peppers yielding a kid-friendly, not spicy (a necessity when feeding young kids in my house) cost effective main dish. I pair with cabbage slaw and homemade sourdough tortillas. A perfect family meal! Recipe below.

Poblano Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

3 tbsp avocado oil

1 onion, cut in half

1 head of garlic, tops removed

2 small poblano peppers, seeds removed

1 bunch of cilantro, stems separated from the tops

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 bag of Simpli Pinto Beans (or 2.5 cups of dried beans)

4 tsp salt

8-9 cups of cold water

Juice of 1 lime

1 bunch of cilantro

Method:

Start by soaking your dried beans overnight. Put them in a large bowl and cover with water, at least 2 inches above the beans. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans. Now they’re ready to cook!  

Heat to medium heat, and add the avocado oil. Add the onion, garlic and peppers face down, so they can get nice and brown. Add the cilantro stems (we will reserve the tops for finishing touches) and the cumin and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Once there is some color on the vegetables, add the beans and salt, stir, and cover with water until it’s about 2 inches above the beans ~ approximately 8-9 cups of water. Cook for one hour and check the beans for doneness. 

Remove from heat and scoop out the majority of the liquid (mine was about 4 cups). I reserve this and use as bean broth for future cooking! Next, take two cups of the beans, the cooked onions, garlic and peppers and add to your blender to create a smooth mixture to add back in with the other beans. Put your pot back on the stove and cook on low without the lid to continue thickening the mixture. After about 30 minutes, finish with juice of one lime and reserved chopped cilantro. 

Cabbage Slaw

½ of purple cabbage, shaved thinly (I used a mandolin)

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon organic, local honey

Large pinch of salt

Shave the cabbage very thin and add to a large bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar, lime, honey, and salt and massage into the cabbage really well. You will feel the vegetable break down slightly and release the liquid. Let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before eating.

Sourdough Tortillas

I find homemade tortillas are so much better than store bought and really worth the effort. I follow this recipe.