Black Beans and Rice with Garden Salsa

Can I just say I love this dish! You know how certain foods and smells are tied into memories and people? Well whenever I make these beans I think of my Grandma Carlson. Oh how I wish I could talk to her again. I'd tell her all about my gluten free discoveries and ask her a million questions. I was diagnosed after she passed away.

She was an incredible cook! These beans remind me of her because she loved to cook beans – and she was good at it! This black bean recipe is hers. Another memory from this dish is spending a week in Breckenridge Colorado with my husband's brother's family. We had such a great time together. One night my sister-in-law made some beans, put them on rice and then added the salsa on top.

I was a little skeptical at first, but oh how I loved the combination of the flavors! Genius! Okay, so just a note. You don't have to use meat in the beans, but you can. I especially love putting a leftover ham bone in the pot to cook with the beans all day! By the end of the day it falls off the bone and adds an amazing flavor!