Black Bean Sauce

YUMMY!! This is my mom's recipe that she put together. I always find that I need way more water than that. Basically, when I soak the beans for 12 hours, I fill the bowl to the top with water once the beans are in it. Before I cook them, I pour some of the water off. While I'm cooking, I keep a close eye on the beans, because I often have to add more water to them, too. When they're done, drain some of the water off into a bowl before you mash them. Then add the water as you mash, if you want a thinner sauce. If you freeze some of the sauce, you'll probably have to add water to them when you reheat, as it will be a dryer consistency.

5C black beans
7C water (or more....don't let the bean soak all the water up and go dry)
3 tbsp lemon juice

Soak the beans for 12-24 hours before cooking. Then simmer for 2 hours. Add chopped onion (I use two), green pepper, diced (I only use one whole pepper), 5 cloves garlic, crushed, a bay leaf, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 2 tbsp parsley, 3 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp hot sauce and the juice of one lemon. Simmer for another 1/2 hour or until beans are soft. Mash to desired consistency, adding or draining bean water to get it.

Serve on rice with sour cream, sliced green olives, diced onion, chopped tomatoes, salsa, tortilla chips, etc. Be generous with the toppings!