This meal is a staple in our house, real family fav. First, I love to soak beans, ok, I have to say it, I love the bulk section. (The bulk section is great because it cuts down on your waste and you get more for your money.)  So easy, and my kids can eat the leftovers for and still want more!

First, make your bean of choice (we like pinto or black beans) I soak mine overnight in a large bowl, then in the morning I drain the water, put in a pot on the stove and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until soft (usually, about an hour and a half), adding water as necessary. When softened, add salt. Sometimes I soak them all day - boil them after dinner and then put them in the fridge to reheat the next day. Today we started with about 4 or 5 cups of black beans and these should last us for a couple days.

While the beans are simmering (or reheating) make your delicious sautéed vegetables. I like to start with a bit of garlic, shallot, or onion and add peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, tomato or whatever looks good that day.

Today I start with Shallots:

Add them to a pan with a bit of warm olive oil. When they were beginning to soften, I added the peppers (today yellow and orange!):

While they began to soften, I chopped the zucchini and squash:

Then added them to the pan, next adding some sliced cremini mushrooms:

After a few minutes, I add some salt and put the lid on the pan (this helps the veggies begin to steam and soften completely). I remove the lid to finish for a few minutes and add any additional salt or pepper to taste. While this is going, time to make some pico and guacamole!

For this I make a basic guacamole - one avocado (slice in half and remove seed) mashed, add some shallot (or onion, garlic, what you have that day), squeeze in some lime or lemon, a pinch of salt, some chopped tomato and cilantro. Adding a small bit of finely chopped jalapeno rounds out the flavor, depending on how spicy you like it.

I put the leftover diced tomato (about half when into the guacamole) in bowl with remaining shallot, a pinch of salt, and some lime. Served with some sour creme from our local dairies - it was a veggie delight and delicious. Hope it inspires your dinner!