1 Batch of Beans, 5 meals--Leftovers?? This is transformational art!

Beans are so versatile, you'll soon figure out how to transform them into a variety of meals.  Here's an example of what I often do with cooked black beans:

First Night:  On a bed of cooked greens I put brown rice, black beans, garnish with roasted red pepper and sweet potato strips.  Any roasted veg is good, these are colorful.

Second Night:  Sauté some onions, add a little garlic for 30 seconds, mash some of the beans into that and then add more beans with some salsa.  Cook until reduced a bit or as you like.  Add a little salt, if necessary and balsamic vinegar, if you like. If you have chipotle or smoked paprika, throw that in.  Garnish with plenty of cilantro.

Serve as a side dish to anything or as an entrée, serve with tostadas, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and any of your normal accompaniements (cheese, sour cream, olives, etc..).  Or go for beef or mushroom fajitas.

Third Night:  Depending on how you spiced them, you can puree your beans and use them as a dip for veggies, or as a spread on crostini, or as a bed for roasted or fresh vegetables.

Fourth Night:  I 'm sure you don't really have any of the original batch left by now, but let's pretend you do.  You can take 1/2 of your purée and thin it down with vegetable or chicken stock, to make a soup.  Adjust seasonings, S&P.  Garnish with herbs, diced vegetables, a dollop of oil, or sour cream, or whatever you like.  If you still have roasted veggies, chop them up and they'll taste delicious with this.

Fifth Night:  Take the other 1/2 of your purée (also great if not entirely puréed) and mix it with your grain of choice to make a dough you can shape into balls.  For example, with black beans, as we're using here, I'd add more diced cilantro, a little diced jalapeño, some diced (and I mean diced) onion, millet or quinoa and cornmeal.  When it is thick enough to shape into moist balls, I shape it and then roll the balls in the cornmeal.  finally I fry them into bean croquettes.  You can dip them in a sauce that goes well with the type of beans and seasonings you ended up with.  Here, I'd use salsa or my kids might use ketchup.

Enjoy!