Quick Legume Lunch

I came up with this today using what was hanging around in the house. It's a really basic recipe that could be varied many, many ways.

- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 small can chopped green chiles
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can vacuum packed corn, drained (or 1.5 cups frozen sweet corn)
- 4 oz lowfat cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature (or sour cream, or yogurt if you prefer)
- 2 tsp cumin
- Olive oil
- Cilantro
- Salt and pepper
- Cooked brown rice

Sautee the onions in the oil until translucent. Add the garlic and cumin, and stir until fragrant, no more than 2 minutes. Dump in the chiles, and fry one minute. Add corn and black beans, along with 1/2 cup water or veggie stock. Cover and simmer 5-10 minutes (you can skip the simmering if you're in a hurry, but I find black beans to be a little dry and fibrous if I don't cook them a little extra). Remove the lid, and continue simmering until most of the liquid has evaporated (or don't, if you want it to be saucier). Remove from the heat, and stir in the cream cheese until smooth and melty. Season to taste, add cilantro if you have it, and serve over brown rice.

Pretty tasty! In addition to cream cheese or sour cream (or a combination!), you could use half a can of condensed cream soup (cream of celery or cream of onion, or even cheese soup) for the dairy portion. Or you could leave it out entirely and just sprinkle on some grated monterrey jack or cheddar after it's dished up. You could even use vegan versions of everything if so inclined. Salsa would be good if you don't have any green chiles, maybe half a cup or so? Curry powder instead of (or in addition to) cumin, chickpeas instead of black beans, served with basmati rice! I might add a small can of diced tomates to that one, and use the yogurt for the dairy component.

Use your imagination, and vary this recipe according to what's in your kitchen and what sounds good to you!