Black Beans and Rice

It would be safe to say that I make this dish once a month. It’s easy, it’s tasty, and it’s not expensive at all. Husband called this dish Moors and Christians growing up. In uber-PC America, I don’t think you will find many people using that name, but I like it. It makes me think that people have been cooking this dish for hundreds of years and that there is a historical tie to this dish.

It’s a rare day that a recipe calls for a whole bell pepper so when only half is needed I chop up the other half and put it in the freezer. I have a small bag of chopped up bell peppers that is perfect for times like this. The recipe calls for undrained cans of black beans. I’ve made the mistake of draining the beans in the past and the dish still ended up yummy. Try to buy the low sodium beans if you can. It’s shocking how much sodium can be found in a little can of beans.

I use a rice cooker instead of cooking the rice on the stove top. Since I have a gas stove, cooking lots of things on the stove top can get a little warm in the kitchen. I still add the salt and the oil to rice cooker. I also add a few tablespoons of either wheat germ or ground flax. These really don’t affect the flavor but add some nutritional value to white rice. There isn’t any reason that you couldn’t serve these black beans over brown rice or barley.

A note on my original recipe says that you can easily turn this into black bean soup by placing everything in a blender (minus the bay leaves). I haven’t tried this, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Add extra chicken broth if the soup ends up to thick.

kosher salt

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups long-grain rice

1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 large green or red pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped (1 tablespoon)

2 15-ounce cans black beans, undrained

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup sliced scallions (optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of water with 1 teaspoon salt and 1½ teaspoons of the oil. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, green pepper, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the beans, broth, vinegar, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Spoon the beans over the rice and sprinkle with the scallions (if desired). Serve warm.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/black-beans-rice-10000001031604/index.html