Beans and rice are a staple for good reason—they're hearty, simple, and a perfect blank canvas for many different flavors. Deborah Madison gives several variations for both beans and rice in her recently re-released cookbook, The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, one of the greatest of which is this creamy amalgamation of heirloom spotted black beans with New Mexican chilies. Madison cooks the beans in a pressure cooker, making them accessible any day of the week, and spikes them with onion, cumin, and epazote in addition to the chilies. A generous handful each of avocado, tomato, and cilantro brighten the dish, and a spoonful of sour cream adds a final flourish of richness.

Why I picked this recipe: I could eat black beans at every meal.

What worked: The beans themselves are wondrously creamy and flavorful, but the real winner here is the broth. It carries much more of the spice from the chilies, and would be perfect in lieu of water for cooking rice.

What didn't: Nothing.

Suggested tweaks: If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can prepare the beans in a Dutch oven as written through step 3. After adding the water, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover, and continue to simmer until the beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. You can leave out the epazote if you can't find it. Black beans will work just fine if you can't find any heirloom beans. Serve the beans with steamed brown rice or cornbread.