Tropical black beans with mango sauce to brighten up a gray day

This is my attempt to loosely copycat Kashi's frozen dinner of the same name. Let me warn you, I haven't tried it so this is totally my own interpretation of the ingredients.

Speaking of ingredients...here they are.



And the finished product.



I used Trader Joe's Harvest Grain blend to serve the beans over as a sub for the Kashi grain pilaf, and I don't think I will use it again. It didn't cook evenly, the couscous was mushy and the baby garbanzos were almost raw, and it was bland. I also attempted to chop all the vegetables in the food processor, but I over-processed them so all the lovely red bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, and onion was very, very finely minced. Next time I will rough chop the red bell pepper, and finely mince (separately!) everything else. For the sake of ease, I didn't add too many different vegetables and roast or grill them like in the Kashi meal. And I added a wee bit too much allspice.

Enough of the bad stuff, how did it taste? It was AWESOME. It was so good, I am looking forward to leftovers tomorrow for lunch. It was smoky, spicy, and the mango sauce was just a perfect compliment to it. I am going to make this again, and as this blog as my witness I will perfect the recipe. And find a better grain for it, too. Maybe coconut rice. But for those unwilling to wait for a perfect recipe, I will post one now.

Black Beans with Mango Sauce
Serves 4

Mango Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups frozen (or fresh) mango chunks, thawed and 1/2 cup reserved for garnish

• juice of 1 lime

Black Beans
• canola oil spray or 1 Tbsp canola oil

• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped finely

• 1 jalapeno, minced with seeds removed (wash your hands very well after working with the jalapenos or wear gloves, and do not under any circumstances decide to rub your eyes or change out your contacts for a couple of hours. It hurts. Trust me.)

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger

• scant 1/4 tsp ground allspice (I used 1/2 tsp and it was a little strong)

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme (I think fresh thyme would really brighten up the flavor, maybe a 1/2 Tbsp fresh minced?)

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 2 15 ounce cans of black beans drained but not rinsed, or 3 cups cooked black beans

• 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water

• 1/4 tsp liquid smoke

• salt to taste (start with 1/2 tsp)

• juice of 1 lime

Mango Sauce: Puree mangos in a blender until smooth. Add juice of 1 lime, and pulse to combine. It should be thick but thin enough to pour from a spoon. Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate while you prepare beans. Dice 1/2 cup reserved mango chunks for garnish and store in refrigerator along with sauce.

Black Beans: Saute onion, jalapeno, garlic, and bell pepper over medium heat in a skillet sprayed with canola oil or with 1 Tbsp canola oil until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add in ginger and cook another minute. Add in allspice, thyme, and cayenne and cook for another minute so spices can mingle and get nice and fragrant. Add black beans, vegetable broth, and liquid smoke. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, and if you'd like more cayenne. When done, turn off heat and add lime juice.

Serve over your favorite grain. On top of beans add 1-2 Tbsp of mango sauce in a nice drizzle, and garnish with diced mango. Enjoy!

-Empress