Black bean green pepper stew with corn crumb

Tam West

This recipe forms part of the plant-based meal planner created in partnership with New World. Coarse polenta or corn grits are another gluten-free alternative to rice, with a lovely corn flavour and appealing texture. It's pretty cheap and makes a nice change. Cooking your own beans is a great life-skill that saves money, gives a superior result and opens the door to other varieties that you can't easily find in tins. I do often use canned ones, but whenever I cook my own I'm very happy about it. See cooking instructions below recipe. The beans and corn crumb for the stew can both be made in advance and chilled in the fridge for a day or two. Any remaining beans and crumb can be taken for lunch on the following days with a bit of salad on top.

Tam West

At

we have an extensive range of free from and gluten free foods, usually grouped so they’re easy to find in the aisle. Browse our chilled section for vegan options like tempeh and tasty marinated tofu. For certainty around organics look for recognised symbols like BioGro, Demeter, AsureQuality, Organic Farm NZ in your local New World supermarket.

Brigit Corson, New World Fresh Expert

Corn crumb

1 cup	Coarse polenta, or corn grits (Main)
½ tsp	Salt, for cooking polenta
1 Tbsp	Peanut oil, for other oil suitable for frying
2 cups	Frozen corn kernels (Main)
½ tsp	Salt, for cooking corn
1	Onion, very finely chopped

Black bean stew

1 Tbsp	Olive oil
2	Green capsicums, cut into large chunks (Main)
½ tsp	Salt
4 tsp	Cumin seeds, ground (Main)
1	Chilli, finely chopped, optional
200 g	Cherry tomatoes, halved (Main)
500 g	Cooked black beans, and 350g of the cooking liquid (see how-to note below); alternatively use 2 cans black beans with their juice (Main)

Salsa

1	Avocado, choose a firm one, chopped into large chunks (Main)
1	Banana, firm, chopped into large chunks (Main)
1	Red capsicum, chopped into large chunks (Main)
¼ tsp	Salt
1 Tbsp	Fresh lime juice
1 sprinkle	Chopped coriander

Directions

1. Place polenta/corn grits in a container with 1 cup boiling water (or use vege stock for extra flavour) and salt. Microwave for 4-5 minutes on high until steaming hot. Use a fork to break up into small pieces, like lumpy rice.
2. Meanwhile, get a frying pan very hot and add the peanut oil. Cook the frozen corn with salt for 5-10 minutes until nicely browned and smelling like popcorn. Remove from heat, add chopped onion and rest 5 minutes until softened. Mix with cooked polenta.
3. For the beans, get olive oil very hot in a frying pan and add capsicums and salt. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes until browned and softened. Add cumin and tomatoes and cook another couple of minutes, along with chilli if using. Add beans with their juice and simmer 15 minutes. If you have time you can add another cup of water and simmer for an hour until extra tender and well-combined.
4. Make the salsa just before serving, tossing everything into a bowl and mixing gently. Serve bean stew with corn crumb and salsa.

How to cook dried beans

My favourite way to cook dry beans is to soak them overnight, then in the morning rinse and pop in a slow cooker with 3 cups of water to each cup of beans. Turn on high and come back at the end of the day to beautifully cooked beans with no risk of boiling over or burning on the bottom. Then I salt them and leave to steep overnight — this makes them extra plump and delicious.