Blue Palate

Black beans are a true Blue Palate Special. They’re full of protein, folate, fiber, magnesium, iron and other wonderful nutrients. Black beans low in fat and can cost as low as $0.49 per can. And prepared my special way they can be quite delicious and served a variety of ways. This recipe takes about 15 minutes.The total cost for the recipe was around $3 and will feed 2-4 depending on how it’ s served.

Black Beans a l’Awesome

Chop one half of a yellow onion and one anaheim pepper. Saute in a little olive oil on medium heat until tender. Add 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp powdered chipotle or chili powder and 1 tsp salt. Saute for two minutes. Add one small can of diced tomatoes. Mix until tomatoes are coated and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Drain two cans of black beans and add to mixture. Cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat.

Ideas for serving:

Spoon beans atop baked russet or sweet potatoes or fresh-baked corn bread.
Serve with warm corn tortillas.
Serve with cooked brown rice and pico de gallo.
Add to a burrito, along with some lettuce, rice, cheese and salsa.
Served alone, topped with a little cheddar cheese, sour cream or avocado.

I had a hankering for happy hour the other day, and while Portland is filled with a cornucopia of choices for cheap eats after the work day, I am pretty budget conscious these days. I’ve been trying hard to limit eating at bars and restaurants, despite inexpensive options some might offer. Instead, I visited my good neighbor Trader Joe’s to see if I could mimic the happy hour experience, recession style.

Alcohol: Since Oregon’s archaic liquor laws prohibit selling hard liquor in grocery stores, I had to stick with wine or beer. Beer from a bottle didn’t seem quite conducive to the happy hour experience so I chose a bottle of Valreas Cuvee Prestige from Cotes du Rhone for $5.99. The wine was delicious, and way more drinkable any bar’s house red.

Appetizers: Trader Joe’s knows frozen food. Spanikopita, mini quiche, empanadas. Even taquitos. I went for the samosas for $3.29 and a jar of mango chutney for $2.99. The samosas were crispy but not too greasy. Just the right amount of salt and fat to feel like a real happy hour experience.

Grand total: $12.17 for about 2 glasses of good quality wine and 3 samosas each. At a bar or restaurant, even during happy hour, we would have spent around $20-$25 including tip. Plus we had chutney left over and didn’t have  to deal with noisy professionals elbowing for a table.

Nosh on!