mexican chili beans

Adapted from one of our favorite cookbooks, More with Less.

Soak overnight (we like to soak for 18-24 hours and then rinse well):
1 lb beans (the recipe calls for kidney beans, but we use our hutterite and jacob's cattle and also love it with black beans)
2 qts water

Bring to a boil.
Simmer just until tender, about 40 minutes.

Saute in olive oil:
2 cups onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Add:
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2-4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup tomato sauce (we use our pureed canned tomatoes)

Simmer 15 minutes.
Drain and rinse beans.  
Add beans to the tomato mixture and add water as needed.  
Cook for at least an hour.

We love to eat this with rice and sour cream.  Some of the boys enjoy tortilla chips with it.  Sometimes we'll add veggies to it (we added finely chopped carrots this time because we have so many carrots left in storage).  In the summer, it's delicious served on fresh greens.