Pork & Beans

1. roast pork tenderloin with a chipotle & garlic rub
2. island black beans
3. pineapple salsa
4. cheesecake with strawberry puree

I don't really know why these are "Island" black beans. There really isn't much that's islandy about them. I do know that I bought a pre-packaged bean soup mix one time that was labeled that way, and we kinda liked it so I decided to make it without the mix, and it's kind of morphed into something else entirely. Not that there was anything particularly islandy about the mix either, but anyway, it's very delicious :)



Island Black Beans

2 cups of black beans (soaked overnight)
1 diced onion
1 chopped red pepper
2 sliced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon salt
couple of stems of thyme
chipotle pepper or 2 with a tablespoon or 2 of the adobo sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Put 2 cups of black beans in a pot with 8 cups of water and the chipotle(s) and bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about an hour (or 90 minutes if you didn't soak them first). Meanwhile, caramelize an onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. When the onion is nice and brown add the garlic and the red pepper and cook until they are soft. Add this to the beans along with the bay leaf, oregano and thyme, and salt and continue to cook for another half hour or so, until the beans are tender. Add the vinegar and check the salt. I usually add some black pepper too, cause we like it.