Tacos.
A wonderful lunch in all seasons, easy, tasty, adaptable.. truly a delightful option for your noon meal.
Throughout the years we have gone back and forth with buying re-fried beans from the store and making our own. Now we are back to making our own and we are staying there!
Now to be completely honest, the real reason for this post is not the delectableness of re-fried beans/tacos, but the detailed creativity and artistry of a young man named Josiah Sauve. Seriously we cannot have this meal without Josiah creating a work of art out of the dish.
{See what I mean?}
Earlier this year our family was on a grain free diet, and "tacos" were an easy lunch for us. We simply put our beans in a bowl with the toppings and ate with a spoon. Since then we have continued to do the "shell-less" tacos, now with organic corn chips on the side.
Re-fried Beans:
The best way to make these beans is to soak them overnight, the day before you want them for lunch.
1. Take 2 cups of beans the night before, put them in a pot and cover them with water.
2. The next morning strain the beans, cover with fresh water and bring them to a boil for 2 minutes then strain the beans and add 2 cups of fresh filtered water. (all this straining and adding of water helps with digestion of the beans)
3. Add:
1 c. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 chopped green or red peppers
1 tsp of paprika
1 Tb of oregano
2 tsp coriander seed
1-2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of cayenne (adjust to fit your taste)
2 c. fresh chopped or canned tomatoes
Of course all these spices and veggies are easily adjusted to taste. Have fun and add hot peppers if you like, or more garlic, etc.
4. Simmer 2-3 hours until beans are tender. Now add about 2 tsp of salt to taste, and some ground black pepper if so desired.
5. Your beans are now ready to eat, but we like the beans much better if you puree them some. You can pour the beans into a blender then scrape them back out, but it is much easier if you use an immersion blender.
The best way to make these beans is to soak them overnight, the day before you want them for lunch.
1. Take 2 cups of beans the night before, put them in a pot and cover them with water.
2. The next morning strain the beans, cover with fresh water and bring them to a boil for 2 minutes then strain the beans and add 2 cups of fresh filtered water. (all this straining and adding of water helps with digestion of the beans)
3. Add:
1 c. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 chopped green or red peppers
1 tsp of paprika
1 Tb of oregano
2 tsp coriander seed
1-2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of cayenne (adjust to fit your taste)
2 c. fresh chopped or canned tomatoes
Of course all these spices and veggies are easily adjusted to taste. Have fun and add hot peppers if you like, or more garlic, etc.
4. Simmer 2-3 hours until beans are tender. Now add about 2 tsp of salt to taste, and some ground black pepper if so desired.
5. Your beans are now ready to eat, but we like the beans much better if you puree them some. You can pour the beans into a blender then scrape them back out, but it is much easier if you use an immersion blender.
The last step is to plop them in your bowl or on your plate and meticulously decorate it, well at least if you are Josiah. And it helps if you have relatives who live in Texas and give you a present of some of the best salsa ever. "Native Texan Peach Salsa" has long been gone but was enjoyed while we had it.
So there you have it. Go ahead and make a work of art for your next lunch! :)
~Chs
