Black Bean, Sweet Pepper, and Citrus Salad

This salad was from a cookbook I recently received - more on that later - and I thought it was really different.

Well, black bean salad isn't exactly earth-shaking, but this one - even though it was from a Latin cookbook - wasn't spicy at all. And it didn't have cilantro.

But it did have basil. I thought that was an unusual ingredient for a Latin American recipe, but it worked really, really well.

I ate this salad as a side dish with a cuban chicken recipe from another book. Then I ate it all by itself as snack. Then I added some diced avocado to some of it.

When I got to the very last bit of salad, I added a little bit of Tabanero hot sauce, and it was good that way, too. To be clear, Tabanero sent me some samples, and I've been pretty much putting it on everything but I wasn't required to post about it.

This would be the perfect side dish if you're feeding people who aren't super-crazy about spicy food, because it's got great flavor. And of anyone wants more heat ... well, you can always have diced peppers or hot sauce standing by to make it hotter.

Or not.

If you're serving it with spicy food, it's nice to have something not-spicy as a side dish.

Like all salads of this type, the flavors mingle nicely after the salad sits for a while, so I suggest making this the day before you want to serve it - which is great if you've got lots of prep work to do on the say when you want to serve it - this can be in the refrigerator waiting for you.

For more about the book itself, check out my book blog.

Black Bean, Citrus, and Sweet Pepper Salad
Adapted from Mi Comida Latina by Marcella Kriebel

1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 handful fresh basil, chopped
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon orange zest
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine everything in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper and give it a stir.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper, if desired. Or perhaps a little more vinegar, if you want something just a little more tart.

Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving. Overnight is even better.

Black Bean Soup with Ponce

This is my last recipe with ponce, and it's a good one.

I started with a black bean soup mix from the Women's Bean Project. I'm not usually much of a make-it-from-a-mix gal, but these aren't really that sort of mix. You get a bag of beans, a little packet of spices and some instructions.

The company itself supports women who need help getting back on their feet, so it's a good cause. And it's a local company.

Since the company is very local, I can find these at most of the grocers around here. They also sell their products online. For more info, I wrote about the company here.

Of course, this would work perfectly well if you started with regular dried beans and your own spices. The mix included 3/4 pound of beans and a small pack of mixed spices.

If you happen to be all out of ponce, (and I mean, really, how is that possible?) you could use ham or smoked sausage instead.

Black Bean Soup with Ponce

1 pkg. Women's Bean Project black bean soup mix
2 bay leaves
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons tomato powder (or tomato paste)
Water and/or stock, as needed
Salt, to taste
2 cups ponce, diced
Cooked white rice, for serving
Diced raw onion, for serving (optional)

Soak the beans overnight in water. I used a cast iron Dutch oven, which was also what I used for cooking. No need to dirty an extra pot or bowl.

The next day, drain the beans, then add water (or stock) to cover them by at least a few inches Bring to a boil, skim of any foam that rises to the top, then lower to a simmer.

Add the 2 bay leaves and cook until the beans are just about tender - figure 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add water or additional stock as needed during cooking, and stir occasionally to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You want this to be a soup, not refried beans.

Add the flavoring from the bean soup mix (or your own seasonings, if you prefer), the onion, tomato powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. (Add the salt only if needed. If your stock had salt, you might not need any more.)

Cook until the onions are and beans are cooked through - another 20-30 minutes should be fine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if desired. Remove the bay leaves.

Serve topped with cooked white rice and some diced raw onion.

Black Bean Soup with a Cajun Twist

I adore black bean soup with plenty of white rice, plus a garnish of some diced onion for a bit of crunch.

I've been known to add so much rice that I end up with something more like a stew, and other times, I leave it a little more soupy. Sometimes I'll add a little cilantro or sour cream or crumbled cheese as well. Like any soup, there are plenty of opportunities for customization and embellishments.

This recipe is so simple to make, it's almost cheating. Sure, you have to do a little slicing and dicing, but then it all goes into a slow cooker and there's nothing else to do until you're ready to serve.

The sausage I used here was from Teet's who partnered with the blog group 37 Cooks. It was a smoked garlic pork sausage - a spicier Cajun version of a typical smoked sausage. It added a nice amount of spice to the soup, but it wasn't at all what I'd consider spicy hot - just what I'm looking for in a black bean soup.

Black Bean Soup (with a Cajun twist)

2 cups dried black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced onion
2 cups diced Teets smoked garlic pork sausage
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 tomato, diced
1 fire roasted red pepper, diced
2 quarts water
2 cups rice, cooked
Diced onion, for garnish

Place the beans, 1 cup of onion, sausage, cumin, salt, tomato, pepper, and water in a slow cooker.

Set the cooker on low and cook until the beans are fully cooked. It took about 14 hours in my cooker, but the time will depend on your slow cooker. And I live at high altitude, and dried beans always take longer to cook.

If you prefer the soup with a little more body, you can use a fork or potato masher to smash some of the beans. If you prefer something even thicker, you can use a stick blender briefly to puree some of the beans.

Serve hot. Pass the rice and onions separately.