Hello, my name is Jhames

With the change of season, it’s nice to have a meal that will stick to your ribs. I enjoy warming tortillas in the oven, and serving them with spicy black beans. I will add shredded lettuce atop the beans, then dollop everything with vegan sour cream and guacamole. These dishes take very little time to prepare and won’t drain your bank account.

Ideally you want to serve beans with rice to form a complete protein. If you have a rice cooker, you can fix the following dishes as you wait for the rice to finish cooking. Omit the tortillas for rice splashed with a bit of lime juice and salt, and you will have a very tasty meal.

Spicy Black Beans

• 2 15 oz cans black beans
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp Mexican oregano, ground
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent.
2. Add spices to saucepan, you want to coat the onions to form the base for the beans.
3. Drain one can of black beans, but reserve the liquid from the second can.
4. Pour both cans of beans into the saucepan along with the liquid.
5. Reduce heat to simmer, stir and add salt.
6. The beans are ready to eat but I like them on a stovetop a bit longer to thicken the sauce.

Tips

• Use a mortar and pestle to grind the oregano if you do not readily have ground oregano on hand.
• I highly recommend using chipotle chili powder for that extra smoky flavor!
• You can also add 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder for a more complex flavor profile

Vegan Sour Cream

• 1 10.5 oz package silken tofu (do not use firm)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Occasionally scrape down the sides to make sure you have mixed everything.
2. Serve immediately or chill for an hour to fully firm.

Tips

• This sour cream recipe is not meant to capture an identical flavor of real sour cream so be careful using it as a substitute for sour cream in baking.

Guacamole

• 6 ripe avocados
• 2 jalapeños, diced
• 2 medium tomatillos
• 1 small red onion, diced
• juice of ½ lime
• juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
• Salt (to taste)

Directions

1. Cut open and scoop avocados into a large bowl. Mash the avocados a bit with a fork, but not too much so that you kill the chunky goodness.
2. Chop – seed the jalapeños if you must, I never do – and add to bowl.
3. Peel husks from tomatillos and wash off the sticky stuff. Throw tomatillos in a food processor and purée them. But good. Add to bowl.
4. Dice red onion and add to bowl. Mix with a spoon.
5. Juice lime and lemon, and add to bowl. Mix some more.
6. Add cilantro. Mix again.
7. Add salt to taste. Mix one last time.
8. Eat.

Tips

• The avocado pits help in preventing oxidation, so make sure to place them in the guacamole before storing it in the refrigerator.

Bonus recipe!

If you feel so inclined, and you have leftover lime juice and cilantro to spare… Chop the following ingredients:

• 1 small red onion
• 1 jalapeño
• 3 plum tomatoes

Then:

1. Mix onion, jalapeño and tomatoes in a bowl.
2. Toss with lime juice, chopped cilantro and salt to taste.
3. Refrigerate for at least one hour

Olé! Pico de gallo.