YumVeg.com - Black Bean & Rice Extravaganza

One of my favorite resources for delicious recipes is Whole Foods. They have an amazing website and are constantly adding new recipes. Their iPhone and iPad apps are two of my most-used and the search features are detailed and incredibly thorough. You’ll notice if you cruise through the recipes here on YumVeg that many originated at Whole Foods.

This easy dish is so incredibly simple to put together that I need to remember to make it more often. For a fast weeknight meal that’s chock full of yummy PLUS vitamins (did you see all those fresh veggies?!), this is a winner. The biggest commitment is cooking the rice, and that’s hardly a commitment if you have a rice cooker. Or, if you’re like me (rice cooker-less), I prepare rice the fail-safe way: bring it to a hard boil, put a lid on it, turn off the burner and walk away. Do not remove the lid until all the water is absorbed. For white rice this usually takes around 20 minutes, and for brown rice it’s approximately 45 minutes.

Rice Tip: Victor taught me a long time ago to toss a whole garlic clove (peeled, of course) into the pot of rice while it’s cooking. When the rice is all done, simply remove the garlic clove and toss it, leaving behind some subtly-flavored rice for whatever purpose you’re serving it.

I have decided that the special ingredient in this particular combination is the beans, themselves. There’s nothing terribly remarkable about a can of black beans. But take that simple can of beans and add some liquid aminos and chili powder and BAM! Seriously, you’ll come back and thank me.

The fresh veggie combination is entirely up to you. What do you have in the fridge? Use it. Make it colorful. Add some variety. Put some crunch in there. Not a cilantro fan like Karen? Don’t use it. Can’t stand water chestnuts like me? Definitely avoid them. And I just looked at the original recipe again and noticed it calls for corn! I’ve never put that in, either. Love guacamole, but not a big fan of avocado slices? You know what to do. Personally, I’ll take avocados any way I can. For tonight’s rendition, I had some leftover guacamole from two days ago, and I added a can of rinsed and drained navy beans, ground that all together with the juice of half a lime and it was delicious.

Oh, and a note about the liquid aminos. If you don’t have any, just use soy sauce. Let me know your favorite veggie combo!

Black Bean & Rice Extravaganza

By Arminda, October 3, 2012

Ingredients:

Black Beans - 2 cans, rinsed & drained
Water or Vegetable Broth - 1 cup
Liquid Aminos - 1 T
Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pint, sliced in half
Green Onions - 1 bunch, chopped
Bell Peppers - 2, chopped
Cilantro - 1 bunch, rinsed & chopped
Avocado or Guacamole - peeled & sliced
Cooked Brown Rice - 3 cups

Instructions:

Heat the beans with water or broth, liquid aminos and chili powder. Place the chopped vegetables and cilantro in individual bowls. To serve, place several big spoonfuls of brown rice onto large plates and ladle beans on top. Add generous handfuls of chopped vegetables, cilantro, and avocado on top of the beans.