Black Beans
This is Erica's dad's specialty. We love it, and it's good even if it gets cold.
Janel got this recipe from a friend (Becky Lehman) and when we make chili, this is the recipe we usually fall back on. You can adlib with a few things (we've added corn and mushrooms, for example) and if you need a little protein, you can add ground meat easily.
"I cooked some black beans last night for a lunch burrito today...and made sure there was enough left over for this. I hadn't flavored the beans while cooking yesterday. After cooling and pouring off all the water, except just barely enough to cover them, I added garlic powder, onion powder, olive oil, balsamic and oregano. Today, after they'd been marinating for a while, they were so delicious that I could have had them over some white rice and called that dinner. Instead..."