I made this last week and I had to share this delicious smoky and zesty recipe with you all! I’m not ashamed to say I had to go back for seconds and thirds and then also ate the leftovers the next day with crisp buttered toast. My children also gobbled it up so that was an unexpected bonus! This recipe is adaptable too as you can add different vegetables such as okra, celery or kale. If you eat seafood, prawns work well too, and meat-eaters can add chicken or smoked sausage. It’s lovely as it is though! Black eyed beans go so well with smoked paprika, if you haven’t tried this combination you have to give it a go.

Are black eyed beans nutritious?

Black eyed beans are an excellent source of fibre, folate and minerals, such as iron, manganese, phosphorous, selenium, calcium, potassium and zinc. The vegetables and fruits in this dish are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants such as lycopene and beta-carotene.

To make this a one pot dish, you need to used pre-cooked black eyed beans (tinned are fine). I usually try to soak and cook beans in advance but when I’m pushed for time, I use tinned. You can also substitute the beans for whatever variety you happen to have in your cupboard.

For my black eyed beans with smoked paprika and lime you will need:

Ingredients:

• olive oil (1 tbsp)
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 sweet peppers, chopped (red, orange or yellow)
• Cooked black eyed beans- 2 cans or approx 250g dried beans, soaked overnight and cooked
• 2x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 vegetable stock cube, chopped finely, or use 1 tsp stock powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• dash of liquid smoke (optional)
• chopped spring onions or coriander to garnish (optional)

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan or wok and cook the onions until just beginning to colour.
2. Add the peppers to the onions and cook until they are slightly soft.
3. Add the chopped garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
4. Drain the beans and add them to the pan with the chopped tomatoes and stir together.
5. While the mixture is bubbling, add a chopped stock cube. Stir well to dissolve.
6. Next, sprinkle on the smoked paprika and stir.
7. The important part: taste the dish! At this point add more salt if you like, as well as black pepper and a splash of liquid smoke.
8. Leave everything to cook for 8-10 minutes.
9. Grate over the zest of a whole lime and then cut it into two. Squeeze the juice of half the lime into the dish and taste. If you would like it to be more sour, add the other half too!
10. Serve, garnished with spring onions and lime or a sprinkle of coriander. You can eat this with any grains you like or with bread to mop up the juices.

Please give my recipe a try and let me know how you get on!

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