The recipes that will make it on this blog are ones mostly created by my personal chef.  He rarely “cheats”.  I cheat all the time.  And honestly, neither one of us call using canned anything cheating.  But hey, technically I cheated.  I was throwing together a meal after the end of a long work day.  L-O-N-G!  It was an Old El Paso tacos kind of night.  TexMex all the way.  We are proud to say that we love taco shell tacos – the kind made with taco seasoning in a packet.  But, what can you serve with them?

I sauntered out to the garden and grabbed a couple serrano peppers and a handful of chives.  And voila!  Simply Black Beans!  If you don’t have a garden, then just add WHATEVER pepper that is hanging out in your fridge (but do blister it) and throw in some chopped up onions (that you have sautéed a tad).

Read on for the recipe (and some great pictures of blistering peppers). 

Simply Black Beans

1 can of black beans
1-2 serrano peppers (an Anaheim or ½ Poblano would also be nice)
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives
1-2 tsp ground Ancho Chili Pepper (or another Mexican spice)*
½ tsp ground cumin.
2-3 tablespoons of salsa
Salt to taste (if you use salt free black beans like I do)

On medium high, blister your peppers in a small saute pan.  Let the pepper sit there.  Don’t stir.  Let that side of the pepper turn black.  Then turn.  Wait.  Blacken.  Remove from heat.  Cool.  Remove seeds and dice the flesh of the pepper.

Heat your black beans over the stove or in the microwave.  Add in chopped/blistered pepper, chives, ancho chili pepper, salsa and salt.  Heat a tad more.  Done.  Now eat.

*A word about ground ancho chili pepper.  It is ground poblano pepper that has been ripened to the color red. Oh my word!  Buy some.  I get it at Savory Spice here in the Denver area.  It’s worth the hunt.  I sprinkle this stuff on nachos and in all kinds of soups.  My personal chef uses it a lot as well.