Black Beans "1905"

Dear Em, 

You were in my tummy when I went to the Columbia restaurant in St. Augustine and had this fantastic dish! Daddy and I had JUST found out that you were in there just a day or two prior! The whole experience was very memorable, especially the part where I just couldn't stand the idea of eating meat (blehhh)! Maybe this is why you love beans so much?! I've tried my best to recreate this very special meal, for my very special little girl...and Big Sis loves it too! BONUS!

XO, Mom

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried black beans

1 small onion - diced

1 clove of garlic - crushed

3 cups of low sodium chicken broth

3 - 4 cups of water

2 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. sweet paprika

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

For the "1905" Dressing

2 garlic cloves - crushed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 -3 tbsp of white wine vinegar

1 tbsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste

To Finish it off:

diced tomatoes

sliced red onion
cooked brown rice

shredded cheddar

sliced avocado

crumbled up tortilla chips - the kids LOVE this

Directions

1. Rinse the beans well, pick out any yucky stuff. Soak the beans overnight in a large bowl with water. I cover the beans with water and then some, to allow room for expansion. Usually I make sure the water comes up to about an inch or two above the beans. 

2. In the morning, strain the beans and give them another good rinse. Put the beans, diced onion, garlic, chicken broth, water, cumin, paprika, bay leaves, salt and pepper into a crock pot and let it cook for 8 hours on low.
When it's about that time to eat....
3. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing.
4. I added the dressing to the diced tomatoes and red onion and let it marinate for about 20 minutes...but you could skip this if you're short on time and didn't read this recipe through beforehand like I normally forget to do.
5. Assemble! I topped the brown rice with the beans, then added cheese, and avocado, a generous amount of dressing with the tomato/onion mixture and sprinkled some tortilla chips on top for some crunch! (I picked the red onions out for the girlies...the grown up version is pictured below.)

El + Em are decent eaters...sometimes. The onions that cook with the black beans in the crock pot are fine since they can't see those. Mama isn't pushing her luck with raw onions though. We are not quite there yet!
I hope you enjoy this meal like we all do!