Chipotle Beans

This is by far my favorite 101 Cookbooks recipe.

First time I had it was when we lived with the Smiths in the Mentor house... and we made it HOT HOT HOT on accident ... I had to have tons of Greek yogurt with every bite to withstand it, but it tasted soooo good I couldn't stop.

Anywho, this is still a regular meal around here. Justin and I consumed the whole pot last night... serves 6?! Bahahahahhahhaah


Chipotle Beans
From 101 cookbooks

Chipotle-tomato sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 big pinches of red pepper flakes
2 pinches of salt
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers

Cilantro Pesto:
1 medium clove of garlic
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
big pinch of salt

2 cans of beans - I used white beans and black beans
2/3 cup kale or chard, washed, de-stemmed, and very finely chopped
1 cup queso fresco

1 1/2 cup whole-grain breadcrumbs, toasted in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil

Make your tomato sauce. Place the 2 tablespoons olive oil, red pepper flakes, couple pinches of salt, and chopped garlic into a cold medium saucepan. Stir while you heat the saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute just 45 seconds or so until everything is fragrant - you don't want the garlic to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and the fresh oregano and heat to a gentle simmer, this takes just a couple minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the adobo sauce - carefully take a taste (you don't want to burn your tongue)...If the sauce needs more salt add it now, more chipotle flavor? Go for it. Set aside.

Make the cilantro pesto by combining the clove of garlic and cilantro in a food processor. Pulse while you drizzle in the olive oil - alternately, you could do this by hand. Season with a bit of salt and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. In a 9x13 baking pan (or large oven-proof casserole/dutch oven) toss the beans with the tomato sauce and the kale. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake in the top-third of the oven for roughly twenty-five to forty minutes, I look for the cheese to start browning and any visible beans to get a bit crusty. Remove from oven and let sit for about ten minutes. Top the beans with the breadcrumbs and just before serving drizzle with the cilantro pesto.

Serves about 6.

In other news: Jackson had rice cereal for the first time this week... mmmmmm. Can't wait till he can dinner with us!