I was trying to use up some of the odd-and-end things that I had leftover in the kitchen this week (mostly to start making room for Christmas foods), and one of the ways that I like to do that is with a nice pot of homemade beans.

Black beans are one of out family favorites, in fact for several years there it was one of the only sources of protein that I could manage to get my little girl to eat. She was basically a vegan for the first four years of her life, by her own choice of course. She's always had a pretty sensitive palette, especially when it comes to spice, so I'll blame it on that.

Beans have always been in her 'safe zone' so, I've made myself rather familiar with making beans in my crock pot over the years. I've found that beans are one of my favorite and most versatile ingredients.

Beans are a great vegetarian option in place of meats and can be used in a variety of ways. These black beans are no exception, they are full of flavor and so easy to make. I used my pot of beans up all week long and even have more plans to use them again today! Plus, I love that any leftovers can be stored in the freezer an easy grab-and-use for later.

I used these beans atop a Mexican style salad, alone in a 'bean bowl' (as pictured), atop some baked sweet potato chips for a twist on healthified nachos, and also inside some vegetarian enchiladas with spinach and sweet butternut squash. Yum!

I made these beans so that they would be full of flavor and low on spice, since my little one has such tender tastebuds. So, if you're wanting something with more of a kick, try adding in a diced jalapeño and doubling the garlic!

As I mentioned, these beans are perfectly freezable. Just portion them out once cooled into freezer friendly bags and place in the freezer. I like to lay mine flat to freeze and then stack them with other frozen goodies - ready to remove and thaw when I want!

Cuban Black Beans (Crock Pot)
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 8 • Size: About 1 Cup • Calories: 263 • Fat: 10 g • Carb: 47.3 g • Fiber: 23.8 g • Protein: 18.8 g • Sugar: 4.3 g • Sodium: 1278.3 mg

Ingredients:
1 Lb. Dry Black Beans
6 C. Water
1 Medium White Onion, Chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Medium Tomato, Seeded & Diced
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 Bayleaf
1 Tsp. Dried Oregano
1 Tsp. Ground Cumin

Directions:
Sort your beans out, removing any bad or broken ones.

I pour mine out onto a baking dish to do this.

Rinse the beans and place them into the bottom of your crock pot.

Add in the remaining ingredients. - Yep, everything!

Give it all a good stir, secure the lid and set to cook for at least 6 hours on low heat.

I usually do 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high - or a little longer if needed.

Enjoy!