Black Beans & Rice

Wash and soak beans overnight. Drain, and add the next 6 ingredients. Fill pot with water just to top of beans. Simmer until beans are soft. Remove quartered onion, pepper, tomato, and bay leaf, setting aside.

In a saute pan, saute the remaining onion, pepper, and garlic in 1/2 C olive oil. Add oregano, cumin, and salt when onions begin to soften. When onions are translucent and soft, add red wine vinegar, stirring thoroughly. Add in Tabasco. Stir into beans, adding more vinegar, Tabasco, or salt to taste.

At this point, the beans can be simmered over the stove for an hour or so. Alternately, the beans can be cooked slowly in a crockpot for 4 to 6 hours.

Cook white rice according to package directions. Serve beans over hot rice, garnishing with chopped green onions. Sweet Italian sausage is also an excellent topping!