Black Bean Sofrito

I have to be honest... before I found this recipe, I had never heard of a sofrito.  I had to google pictures to have an idea of what I was making.  But really, it had black beans in it so how could I resist?  One of my favourite things about the Vegetarian Family Cookbook is that it suggests options for side dishes. In this case, it suggested making the southwestern rice casserole to go with the sofrito, so I went with that and a spinach salad.  It's a good thing my husband put some in the fridge for me (I never eat before hot yoga) because that is all there was left.  This recipe is definitely going to be a frequently made meal around here!

Black Bean Sofrito

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 medium onion, chopped fine 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 medium green bell pepper, diced I used yellow

1 medium red bell pepper, diced 

2-15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed & drained mash half

1 large firm tomato, diced 

2 tsp cumin 

1/2 tsp oregano 

1/2 tsp chili powder

Juice of 1/2 lemon 

Salt and pepper to taste 

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup water

*Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent

*Add in pepper and cook for 5 more minutes

*Add remaining ingredients and cook for 10-15 minutes