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Enjoy as a healthy vegetarian side dish or turn it into a salad by adding oil and vinegar.

Jumpin' Jalapeño Beans

1 cup mixed dried beans
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1/2 peeled onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 poblano chile, with seeds, cut into 1/4-inch dice (see note)
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch dice (see note)
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped chives

1. Carefully sort through the beans and rinse well. Soak overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the beans, place in a medium-sized pot, and add enough water to cover the beans by at least 2 or 3 inches. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook at a low simmer until just tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add more water as necessary to keep the beans covered. When cooked, there should be about 2 1/2 cups cooked beans; drain beans.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion, bell pepper, poblano, and jalapeño over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the cooked beans, add the stock or water, and cook for 10 minutes, reducing the liquid somewhat.
   Season with salt and garnish with chives at the end of the cooking cycle.

Makes 5 servings.

Variation: Can use canned jalapeños. Use the juice, too, reducing the vegetable stock proportionately to equal 1 cup of liquid. Water may be substituted for vegetable stock.

Note: Working with jalapeños or other chiles: Capsaicin is the ingredient in chiles that causes the burning sensation associated with fresh peppers. It's a good idea to use rubber gloves when handling fresh chiles. (Disposable surgical gloves, available at most drugstores, work best for this.) If you choose not to use gloves, be extremely careful not to touch any part of your body, especially your eyes. After you've finished handling the chiles, wash your knife and cutting board with hot soapy water to ensure that there is no carry-over to other foods that may come in contact with the peppers.