Black bean & mushroom Chilaquiles

BACK FOR ANOTHER ROUND SOUTHRN UNDERGRND1

Our first recipe was the Black Bean & Mushroom Chilaquiles from the recipe book "The Vegetarian Bible" (although I'm fairly certain there are upward to a million books with that or similar titles).

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and minced
2 cans (about 15 oz. each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (about 14 oz.) diced tomatoes
10 oz. white mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup (4 oz.) shreeded sharp cheddar cheese, plus additional for garnish
6 cups tortilla chips

We strayed from the recipe a bit, using a red bell pepper instead of a green, chopping fresh tomatoes, and fresh oregano from our garden.  We mortared some cumin seeds instead of using previous ground cumin, which was fun, made us feel like alchemists and what have you.

 

1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens.

While the things fried we prepared our other ingredients.

Mushrooms and tomatoes and cumin

A chinese tea cup's worth of oregano.  Very precise.

2. Transfer fried ingredients to slow cooker. Add beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, cumin and oregano. Cover; cook on LOW 6 hours or on HIGH 3 hours.

3. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over bean mixture.  Cover; cook until cheese melts. Stir to combine.

4. Coarsely crush tortilla chips.  Top with black bean mixture and sprinkle with additional cheese.

Finished product is like an explosion with a flavour eagle flying out of it.