Black Bean Burritos

My favorite weekday lunch is a frozen Amy's burrito. I stock up when they're on sale, but even at $2 each, I know I can do better.  Last Sunday, I tried making black beans for the first time from scratch.  I was stunned to see how much one cup of dry beans turned into! I've eaten black bean burritos all week and my average cost was likely $0.50 each, including the tortilla and cheese.

Ingredients

1 cup dry black beans

1 tbsp olive oil

½ onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

1 cube chicken bouillon

Directions

• Soak the black beans in cold water to soften for 24 hours.  The next day, drain the beans well. If you did not pre-soak, rinse the dry beans.
• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic for five minutes.  Add the beans and spices and mix well.  Add the chicken bouillon cube to boiling water and pour over the bean mixture until it is covered (about 4-6 cups of liquid) and let simmer.
• Test beans after 90 minutes.  It should take about two hours if they are pre-soaked but mine took over three hours.

Notes

• I did NOT pre-soak the black beans and they took much longer to cook.  Next time I will pre-soak but if you want to try this recipe today, know that you can do it without the pre-soak, but you’ll cook them longer.
• Use whatever spices you have on hand.  I used lemon pepper instead of pepper, because I had it.
• If you're not sure how much water to add, start with four cups and add a little more as it cooks, if you think it needs it.
• I store the cooked beans in jars in the refrigerator because I like eating this every day.  You can freeze the leftovers or pre-make burritos and freeze those.
• I eat this on a tortilla with Mexican-style cheese, chopped romaine and chives, but be creative and add your favorite toppings.