What's for dinner: Sweet and Spicy Black Beans and Grilled Cilantro-Lime Chicken Breasts.

Things are busy at my house! In addition to the usual hustle and bustle that accompany the end of school, I've had a slew of senior activities which are accelerating as we approach graduation next Friday. My own senior (and the extra one who's lived with us this year) checked out LONG ago in regards to school; likely about the time those first college acceptance letters arrived!

At any rate, I've been cooking some lately but mostly just for Robert, the girls and me, as the boys are scarcely home (though Taylor joined us for this meal and liked it a lot). Through Simply Sandi I discovered a new blog called Mommie Cooks! where I've found many great new recipes. I've also struck up a nice friendship with Julie (aka "Mommie").

I prepared Julie's Sweet and Spicy Black Beans and served them with Grilled Cilantro-Lime Chicken Breasts and a simple green salad. Everything was delicious! The black beans were similar to baked beans, but they had a much more complex flavor. None of this required an undue amount of prep work, especially since I cheated and bought my onion already chopped at the prep bar at Central Market.



Sweet and Spicy Black Beans
From Mommie Cooks!

2 T olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
4 15-oz. cans black beans
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
⅓ c honey
⅓ c brown sugar
1 t ginger
1 t salt

Grab a large frying pan and heat your olive oil on medium high heat. To the heated oil add your onions and stir. Cook the onions for 5 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes stirring frequently so they don't burn. Your onions should cook down to about half of what you started with and they should be a nice golden brown color.

While your onions are cooking, chop up the jalapenos and garlic and set to the side. Drain and rinse your black beans and add them all to a large pot on medium heat. Along with the beans add your tomatoes, honey, brown sugar, ginger and salt.

After your onions have cooked for an additional 15-20 minutes, add in the jalapeno and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Then add the onion mixture in with the beans and heat through until hot.

There is also a note from the cookbook that says you don't necessarily have to cook your onions for 20 minutes but this will make the dish if you do. Those golden browned onions will impart a wonderful sweet flavor you won't want to miss.

Note from Eloise: I cut this recipe in half for the four of us as it makes a lot


The beans smelled so delicious as they were cooking!


Grilled Cilantro-Lime Chicken Breasts
adapted from a recipe in Cooks Illustrated

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T fresh lime juice
3 T olive oil
1 t sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T water
1½ t salt
½ t pepper
½ c chopped cilantro leaves

Combine marinade and add to zipper-lock bag along with chicken breasts. Marinate 1-2 hours then grill.