Authentic Black Beans | Frijoles de Chiqui | Meatless Monday

I learned this recipe for authentic black beans from a very special woman named Chiqui. Chiqui is from Guatemala and is an impressive cook. Whether it’s making authentic dishes from Guatemala or cooking up American fare, everything she would make was always delicious. And, in addition to being so talented in the kitchen, Chiqui has a heart of gold. She is truly one of the kindest, sweetest, most loving people I know.

Chiqui is so skilled in the kitchen she never needs to follow recipes. However, on many occasions, with her patience and kindness, she would take the time to teach me her recipes step by step. This black bean dish is one of my favorites. I often refer to it as “Frijoles de Chiqui.” I loved this recipe long before I started eating a plant-based diet and long before I had an appreciation for beans, so I have a feeling you will like this recipe as well! These beans are packed with flavor and incredibly healthy.

Because this recipe is authentic and uses dry beans (versus canned beans), leave ample time for the beans to be soaked and then cooked.

Authentic Black Beans | Frijoles de Chiqui

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb black beans (dry)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves, one chopped/one whole
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• Salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse and sort beans. (Sorting beans means looking for any small stones or non-bean items that may have made it into your bag of beans. Rarely will you find any, but it’s good to check!)
2. Add beans to pot with 4-6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Boil beans for 2 minutes. Then remove from heat and cover. Let beans soak for 1 hour.
3. Once soaked, pour beans in strainer and rinse again. Then add soaked beans to another pot of 4-6 cups of water. Add 1 whole garlic clove to pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling turn down heat and simmer beans for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours or until softened.
4. While beans are simmering, chop onion, bell pepper and 1 garlic clove. Sauté all together in olive oil until soft and onions are translucent. About 10 minutes.
5. Chop cilantro and set aside.
6. Once beans are soft, discard whole garlic clove. Add salt to beans, to taste.
7. Add sautéed onions, peppers and garlic to beans. Then stir in tomato paste and add cilantro.
8. Simmer for an hour. Season with more salt if needed.
9. Serve and enjoy!

Cooking tips:

• If you have time to soak beans overnight, even better! Follow instructions on dry bean package. Once soaked, pick up this recipe at step 3.
• The longer you simmer everything together, the more flavorful the beans will be.

Besos!