Eat It: Huevos Rancheros

It was that kind of morning: awake a little too early because we had just gained an hour, a fully stocked fridge, no plans in the foreseeable future. I had already spent half the morning lounging in bed with Mindy Kaling's new book (much to the chagrin of my dog) and decided no, heading out for brunch was not for me. I was going to cook at home, where the only dress code was my pink kitty kat robe.

And boy, was I glad I did. I only remembered to take a picture about halfway through, and only one at that. This huevos rancheros was great for using up some odds and ends from tacos a few nights back. You may have what you need already in your fridge – if so, you should make this some hungry morning or evening, when it's too cold outside and your body craves sustenance. A lot of the elements are food basics and can last a long time in your pantry, so have 'em on hand because I promise you, that hungry day will come, friend.

I'm addicted to cumin and cilantro, so you might want to scale back on those things if you're not a big fan. I try to always stock a can of black beans because they're perfect in a pinch – filling, nutritious, and inexpensive. The bean mixture is very adaptable, so use up your leftover mushrooms, bell peppers, corn, even shredded carrot. I'm no purist, and it'll still taste delish. You'll have about a cup of leftover bean mixture afterward too, which you can use as burrito filling, a pair to rice, a dip for tortilla chips, or add it to your next batch of chili.

Huevos Rancheros

Refried beans will serve 3

1 tbsp olive oil
Half a medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Handful of fresh cilantro, rinsed and chopped
1 tsp butter
2 eggs per tortilla
Shredded cheese (I used an Italiano blend with mozzarella, which was fine; cheddar would be better)
Small tortillas (I used jalepeno ones, which were mighty tasty)

1. Put the olive oil in a small pot or frying pan and start cooking onions on medium. Add garlic after a minute or two (it'll burn otherwise). Cook until onions are softened, then add tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes longer.

2. Add black beans, lime juice, cumin and chili powder, and mix well. Let cook at medium for roughly 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add some of cilantro (maybe 2 generous tbsps?), stir in, and let cook for 3–5 more minutes if you want your beans distinctly bean-shaped, or cook a bit longer if you like them as more of a paste. Mash the beans with your spoon, if you'd like. Turn off heat.

3. Put the butter in a frying pan; once melted, swirl the pan so it coats the bottom and let it bubble. Crack two eggs in it and let cook roughly 4 minutes – enough for whites to be cooked thoroughly but the yolks to still be runny. Remove eggs from pan and put them gently on a plate. Be careful not to break the yolks!

4. Place a tortilla in the frying pan used for the eggs. Sprinkle tortilla with shredded cheese and place eggs back on top of cheese. Remove tortilla from pan once the bottom is crispy and the cheese is melted.

5. Put a few generous dollops of black bean mixture on top of the egg-cheese-tortilla, plus some fresh cilantro. Other things that would be delicious on hand that maybe your kitchen has and mine did not: salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole or avocado.