Beans, Beans, Beans

Yesterday, I gave you a teaser about my beans that I served with my Puerco Latino, Puerco Latino. Beans have been a part of the Latino diet for for centuries. Beans are a part of their culture and is a way for many Latinos to connect with their roots and traditions, offering a sense of familiarity and comfort. In many Latin dishes, beans are a central component, often paired with rice, corn, or other grains to create complete proteins. Paired with rice, beans provide all the amino acids a body needs. They are a great, inexpensive source of protein and fiber, and multiple other vitamins and minerals as well.

Beans are eaten in every culture in South and Central America, with each country having their own particular favorite. For instance, the Cubans prefer frijoles negros, or black beans; Mexicans like their pinto beans and Puerto Ricans like their red kidney beans. Though you will find many different types and uses for all kinds of beans all throughout the various Latin communities and countries. I like them all, as well as many other types of beans too.

In the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, beans were considered to be sacred and associated with fertility, sustenance, and the cycle of life. In Aztec mythology, the god Quetzalcoatl was believed to have stolen beans from the gods to provide nourishment to humans. Beans are an integral ingredient to all Latin American cultures and countries, and they go by different names depending on where you are, like frijoles, legumes, porotos or habichuelas.

Beans are NOT just important to the Latino diet. They are important and enjoyed all over the world, in almost every culture. Originally, I had something else in mind when making my bean dish. I was originally planning on making them Moroccan style, using the recipe from our very own Dolly, from koolkosherkitchen at https://wordpress.com/reader/users/koolkosherkitchen. Though Dolly and I have never actually met in person, yet, we have become very close friends. We both just know that when we actually do meet in person, it will be magic. But I digress. Back to the recipe. 🙂 I did not have chickpeas or garbanzo beans, like I thought I did, but I did have pinto beans. So instead of making everything Moroccan, I made it Latino instead. But I was definitely inspired by Dolly and her recipe from her cookbook Kool Kosher Kitchen, A Collection of Recipes, and will try her recipe again another time. However, I only made a couple of minor changes, and those minor changes switched the recipe from being Moroccan to Latino in seconds.

Three Beans Latino Style

Dolly’s beans used chickpeas or garbanzo beans and curry and were served room temperature. The only changes I made were that I substituted pinto beans for the garbanzo beans, omitted the curry and added some oregano and used red onions instead of white or yellow onion and added some red bell pepper. I also cooked them and served them hot. They were more like Cubano beans instead of Moroccan beans, but they were still delicious.

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can pinto beans,drained and rinsed

1 jalapeno, diced fine,

1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine

1/2 red onion, diced fine

1 TBSP dried oregano

1 TBSP garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp cinnamon

olive oil

Get a medium sized pot hot and add the olive oil, red peppers, jalapeno, onions, garlic and seasonings. Saute for about 1-2 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Add the beans and mix in thoroughly. Heat over a medium heat, for about 5 minutes, or until the beans are hot. Add most of the cilantro towards the end of the cooking process and mix together thoroughly once again.

Top with the remaining cilantro right before serving. !Esta mui rico! These colorful beans will dress up any dish you serve them next to. I promise you’re going to love them; either my version, or Dolly’s. 🙂 Thank you Dolly for everything you do and for just being you. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.