Slow Cooker Black Beans with Cilantro

Ingredients

• 4 cups dried black beans
• 6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2 T dried cilantro
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, measure after chopping

Directions

1. The night before you want to cook, sort through the beans, discard any broken pieces, and rinse them well. Put the beans in a large pot or the slow cooker, add enough cold water to cover them by several inches, and leave them to soak overnight.
2. The next morning, drain the beans and rinse them again. Add the beans to the CrockPot slow cooker with the stock, dried cilantro, and garlic powder or fresh chopped garlic.
3. Cook on low for the day, about 8-10 hours if you want the beans very soft. For beans with a little more firmness, begin checking them after about 7 hours. If you are not using a Crockpot, put the ingredients in a large, heavy pan and simmer gently over low heat for about 2 hours.
4. Rinse the fresh cilantro and dry it thoroughly. A salad spinner works well here. Chop enough cilantro to measure one cup.
5. Once the beans are nicely softened, switch off the Crockpot and mix in the fresh cilantro. Serve right away, with extra chopped cilantro on top if you like.
6. You can also tuck these beans into burritos, stir them into taco meat, or spoon them over a salad.