My mom has always been great at sniffing out good recipes. When I got married and set up my own household, Mom presented me with my own copies of some of her most-often used cookbooks. She annotated the books with comments like "even better with ground lamb" or "easily overcooks - watch this carefully." It's like having my mom in the kitchen with me, though I usually find a reason to call her to walk me through recipes anyway.

This time of year I find myself looking for ways to use the beautiful plump red tomatoes in the stores and in my garden. Everyone has their favorite recipes for dealing with the tomato bounty we face in late summer, whether it's salsa, pasta sauce, gazpacho or tomato pie. One of my favorite recipes comes from a cookbook handed down by my mom: Food & Wine's "Good Food Fast."

It's an extraordinarily simple recipe. You can use fresh tomatoes when they're in season, or you can use a can of whole peeled tomatoes if you're craving this dish in the winter. It's a wonderful way to spice up a plate of scrambled eggs, add some interest to grilled meat, or serve as a side dish with fajitas. You can change it up by adding fresh corn or diced hot peppers.

My mom points out that the dish can be served hot or cold. I'll add that making sure all your prep work is done before you start is crucial, since the cooking time is so short. You just won't have time to peel, seed and dice those tomatoes while the onions are cooking.

Black Beans with Fresh Cilantro and Tomatoes from "Good Food Fast"

Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
5 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Instructions
1. In a small skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until partially translucent but still firm, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes more.

2. Add the black beans and season with the hot pepper sauce and salt. Cover and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir in half the cilantro. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro on top.

Jessica Webster leads the Food & Drink section for the AnnArbor.com community team. You can reach her at JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com