Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart ... Black beans are especially healthy although on their own they make a pretty blah meal. Pair them with the right ingredients however, and you’ve got a tasty dish packed with fibre and full of antioxidants. Lifestyle visited Tribe Road Kitchen this week, where we challenged chef and owner Karsten Krivenko to come up with two meals featuring black beans that would be easy to replicate at home.

Low Rider

Ingredients:

1 bag dried or 3 tins of black beans

1 tsp baking soda

1 large onion

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbs cumin

2 tbs chilli powder

1 tbs ground coriander (option)

2 tbs good cocoa powder

1 green pepper

2 tbs oil

1 tbs baking powder

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

2 cubes vegetable bullion

Eggs

2tbs white vinegar

Grated cheese

Method:

Soak the dry black beans overnight in 6 to 1 ratio of water with 1 tsp baking soda. Next day, strain the tinned or dried beans in a colander.

Heat a deep cooking pot and add 2 tbs oil. Purée the onion, garlic, cumin, chilli powder, ground coriander, cocoa powder and green pepper. Add them to the pot until roasted and keep heat on medium (6-8 minutes).

Add 3 to 1 ratio of water and beans, and 1 tbs baking powder, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste and 2 cubes of vegetable bullion.

Cook on medium heat for two hours. (If using tinned beans, cook three tins strained with 5 cups of water for 30 minutes with spices, onion garlic).

Poached eggs

Method:

Heat a medium pot of water with 2 tbs of white vinegar. Heat till under a boil then turn heat to medium.

Spin water with a slotted spoon and add eggs (four at a time). Cook large eggs for 2 1/2 minutes; 1 1/2 minutes for medium eggs. Place on paper towel.

Put beans in pan or casserole dish with cheese and your choice of breakfast topping.

Sit for ten minutes and top with eggs, salsa, avocado, sour cream, cilantro and a wedge of lime.

Mexican lasagne

Ingredients:

Black beans

Cheese (shred mozzarella or pepper jack or plain Monterey Jack cheese)

Mixed sautéed vegetables of choice (jalapeño, peppers, onions, zucchini, to name a few)

Fresh cilantro

Good quality jarred salsa

2 tins enchilada sauce (mix with your salasa)

Corn tortillas (soft so you can quickly fry in a shallow pan to make this dish more like enchilada style)

If adding meat please sauté first with some garlic, cumin and chilli powder. You can use taco seasoning in a pinch.

Method:

Start building your lasagne. Put sauce on bottom and top with tortillas then add sauce on top. The cheese is added next along with beans and vegetables. Start your next layer and so on. Cover the final layer with sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes.

Serve this dish with sour cream, avocado, lime wedges and shredded iceberg lettuce.