Recipe: Black Beans and White Cauliflower

… Or Black & White.

This is one from a couple weeks ago when I had some cauliflower and wanted to do something other than Cauliflower & Kidney Beans Curry, or Cauliflower Macaroni & Cheese, or Balti-Style Cauliflower – my usual dishes involving cauliflower.

I wanted something relatively simple. Black beans and rice came to mind, and I figured why not add the cauliflower to it and see what happens?

I tried this both in a large sauté pan as well as a slow cooker. The slow cooker version didn’t turn out quite as good due to the cauliflower overcooking a bit. I haven’t had much success yet with cauliflower in the slow cooker. What I provide here is the regular, stovetop version.

Serves: 6-8
Cook and prep time (does not include time for beans to cook): 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry black beans, sorted and rinsed
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 dried, red hot chili peppers
• 1 large onion, diced medium
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 Serrano pepper, optionally seeded and sliced
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced medium
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tbsp. red chili powder
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Soak and cook beans as directed by package. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, drop in dried chili, stir and fry for a few seconds. Add onion and garlic and continue to stir and fry until onions are soft. Add Serrano and bell peppers and fry another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the ground cumin and chili powder, stir and fry 30 seconds. Add cauliflower, water, and about 1 tsp salt. Stir, then bring to a rapid simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes until cauliflower becomes tender but not too soft.
4. Add the tomatoes with juice and the cooked beans. Add another teaspoon of salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir to mix well and blend flavors. Bring back to a simmer, cover and continue to cook another 5-10 minutes until cauliflower is soft. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Mix in fresh cilantro and serve.