Back on track...
Necessity is the mother of invention...wife's been after me to use up a 24oz can of green enchilada sauce in the pantry. And we always have black beans so I thought I'd make a slight mod. Alas, no black beans. So I blended up that green sauce with a can of Navy beans. Not spicy enough so I added a half tsp of cayenne pepper to the blender and gave it another spin. Too runny (the enchilada sauce was like water) but the spun up beans really gives a good base to stuff like this. Maybe all cooks know this trick but it was real esoterica to me--thanks Ray! Up to now I only had flour or bread crumbs to thicken up something that had gotten too runny.
Pepper in coffee has changed my life for the better too, My Friend.
Boiled some potatoes tonight, diced them small in a bowl, and then added the sauce. Smashed it all together with a fork. Not unlike potatoes and gravy, just a different taste profile. With some wine and cheese it was a fine meal and it won't kill me to lay off the red meat for a meal now and then.