Spicy Citrus Black Beans

I was looking for a side dish to go with the honey chipotle glazed chicken, and thought these black beans sounded like just the thing.  (Apparently I have a thing for grilled chicken with black beans as you can see here and here.)  I made numerous modifications from the original recipe to suit our tastes and my schedule.  I really do my best to avoid convenience foods as much as possible, but canned beans are one thing I don’t think I can give up.  I am a busy woman and I just do not have the time to rehydrate dried beans!  So, I used canned beans in order to help make this weeknight-friendly.  I also reduced the amount of liquid drastically because I like a more chunky mixture.  These were absolutely delicious, but next time I think I will add even more lime juice (and maybe even lime zest) to play up the citrus flavor, and will mix in some chopped cilantro in addition to that used for garnish.  Topped with some sour cream, salsa and of course a little shredded cheese, these could be a meal on their own!

Spicy Citrus Black Beans
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Ingredients:
1 (28 oz.) can black beans
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
pepper, chopped or minced (bell, Anaheim or jalapeno depending on your taste)
½-1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1½ tsp. dried oregano
2 bay leaves
½ tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. pureed chipotles in adobo
1½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Juice of 2 limes (added lime zest – optional)
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste, plus more for garnish

Directions:
Place the beans in a colander and rinse throughly.  Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Sauté the onion and pepper until tender, about 5-7 minutes.   Add the garlic and sauté just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the beans.  Mix in broth (more or less depending on how much liquid you would like) and bring to a simmer.  Mix in the oregano, bay leaves, salt, chipotle puree, cumin, orange juice, lime juice and vinegar.  Once simmering, reduce to medium-low or low and let simmer, covered, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat, stir in chopped fresh cilantro to taste and serve.

Source: heavily adapted from Simply Recipes