Cuban Black Beans Recipe

27 Apr Cuban Black Beans Recipe

Here’s an easy recipe that happens to be vegan, inexpensive and really delicious! Slow cooked black beans can be found in many cultures and while on a trip to Cuba, I learned that some locals call them “Dormidos” which translates to little sleeping ones! 

You can use a pressure cooker or canned beans, but you will miss the amazing smell that lingers in your house all day from cooking them slow. My preference is to cook them is my Pampered Chef Rock Crock – My friend Lisa Pohl is a professional chef and consultant. What I love about this tool is that you can sauté the onions, peppers, and garlic on the stove with the crock and then transfer to the base to cook on low all day. I learn so much from Lisa – new recipes including cocktails like a Mojito – which would pair well with this recipe! Check out her out on Facebook at “In the Kitchen with Lisa”. 

One last tip is to serve this dish on top of yellow rice – traditionally saffron is the spice used but saffron is hard to find so I use 1 tsp of turmeric to get the golden color and the super bonus is that turmeric also has a slew of health benefits. 

Be Well! Gina   

Cuban Black Beans

• Dried Black Beans (2 cups)

Soak overnight or boil in water for 10 min and turn off.

Let stand for 1 hour. Drain beans. 

OR

• Use 4 cans of Organic Black Beans drained
• 1 large carton of Organic Vegetable Broth. 
• 2 cups of water to start – you may need to add more water to thin later. 
• 3 Bay Leaves 
• 1 TBSP of minced garlic
• 1 onion chopped finely 
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 Red or Yellow Pepper chopped 
• 1 Green Pepper chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt 

Sauté the onion, peppers, and garlic with 1 Tbsp olive oil on the stove. Transfer to the slow cooker and add rest of ingredients. Cook for 6 – 8 hours on low. Season in the last hour with 2 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp chili powder and salt to taste. I serve over yellow rice – brown rice with 1 tsp of turmeric. Garnish with avocado and sour cream/Greek yogurt or omit to keep vegan. Cilantro and squeeze of lime or lemon would be tasty too. If you are lucky to have some leftover, serving it the second time around with a fried egg on top is divine!

Note: I often make these beans and reserve some aside for later in the week to use in another recipe. I also use an emersion blender to puree the beans leaving some texture but making it a soup – you can thin, if needed with broth or water. You can also use a potato masher or transfer part of the soup to a food processor if you don’t have an emersion blender.