Sweet & Spicy Stovetop Beans

I created this recipe when my husband requested a side dish of beans to go with his lunchtime serving of grilled chicken. We had recently purchased roasted Hatch green chiles from our local garden center and I thought they would go nicely with the beans.

My husband really loved the end result, which is a delicious flavor combination and I think you will enjoy too.

Ingredients:

2 cups soaked and cooked black beans

2 cups soaked and cooked pinto beans

2 tbsp. Grade B maple syrup, like this one

1/2 tbsp. vanilla and fig balsamic vinegar, or sub your favorite balsamic

1/2 cup roasted Hatch green chiles, chopped (if needed, substitute any available green chile)

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced onion

1 tsp. garlic powder/ granules, like this

1/2 tsp. chili powder, we used homemade

Sea salt or Real Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

How To:

1. In a medium to large saucepan, add all ingredients.

2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer until beans, peppers, and onions are softened and everything is incorporated.

3. Using a potato masher or spoon, mash the mixture so that you've mashed about half the beans. Serve immediately or continue to cook on low for 10-15 minutes until ready to serve.

 

 

Comments: This is super simple to make, but does call for a couple of unusual ingredients, most notably the roasted Hatch green chiles. However, I highly recommend that you include them because they really contribute to the overall flavor of the dish. You could substitute another roasted green chile if you do not have access to good quality (and fresh) Hatch green chiles. I also highly recommend the vinegar indicated above, which is very sweet and mild, or another mild substitute. 

 

Check out this link for a summary of the wonderful benefits of chile peppers. Total cook time is as short as 15 minutes, but you can keep it on the stove on low for another 15 minutes if you are cooking other things too. 

We made a really good dried chili powder that was a combination of ground dried chile peppers from our garden, sweet peppers (to reduce the heat), cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and dried oregano. We followed this recipe loosely and the end result was delicious but a little on the hot side. Next time we will probably try to use a few more of the less hot peppers to balance out the heat of the chile peppers.

Soaking - dried beans should be soaked to maximize nutritional value. Soak black and pinto beans for 12-24 hrs. (change out water a couple times a day) in warm water mixed with whey or lemon juice or ACV. When done soaking, rinse and cook. Then freeze for future use. You can make this recipe a little easier by pre-soaking and cooking your beans or by using canned beans such as these or these, but they will not have been soaked.

One final comment - this recipe makes a batch of spicy beans. If you don't care for spicy at all, you could try to find very mild roasted green chiles and mild chile powder. However, there will likely still be a mild level of heat.

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