I came up with this recipe as I had a bag of opened dried black beans that needed using up. The amount wasn't big enough for anything else and needed bulking up so I used other veg to make a substantial meal. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have at home in your fridge or freezer. The ones here, I was already planning on using elsewhere later on in the week or had frozen to minimise waste. The dried spices last for ages and you likely already have them in your cupboard. See bellow for other suggestions to adapt the recipe to what you have at home.
Ingredients:
155 g dried black beans
OR 1 can black beans
If using dried black beans, soak them the night before, then drain and place in a pot with plenty of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook until tender. This could take anything between 30 minutes to 1 hour plus depending on the batch. Turn off the heat and drain. This step can be done a couple of days in advance.
For the sauce:
1 can tomatoes
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup peanut flavoured whisky (or whisky of choice)
Blend everything together and set aside. Fancy a change? Use almond butter instead.
The rest of the ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced small
225 g sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen sweetcorn
Juice of 1 lime
Handful fresh, chopped coriander to serve
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts turning soft. Add the pepper and mushrooms. Cook for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms wilt and soften.
Add the cooked beans (see above) and the sauce. Bring to the boil and cook for a couple of minutes until heated through. Add the sweetcorn and continue cooking for another 2 minutes until the corn is cooked.
Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice and fresh coriander. Serve with roasted sweet potatoes, rice, barley or salad.
Suggestions
Why not use the sauce to cook chicken, beef or fish in the same way?
Use vegetable/ chicken stock instead of the whisky if you don't drink alcohol.
Try the sauce with tequila or vodka for a sharper background flavour.
Use the sauce as a marinade for meat before grilling on the BBQ. Brush any spare over the meat as it cooks.
Add some chilli powder to the sauce for a spicy kick.
Feel free to use other kinds of beans, chickpeas or lentils you have at home instead of the black beans.
No limes? Use lemon juice or a dash of your favourite vinegar for balance.
Add more stock or a can of coconut milk for a soup.
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