Chili-Style Black Beans & Rice

Chili-Style Black Beans & Rice

With Mad Cow disease in the news again this week, it seems like prime time to decrease your intake of meat and dairy in exchange for more fruits, veggies and whole grains.  After reading an interesting nutritional forum published last week in the New York Times concerning the pluses and potential minuses of vegan eating, it seems to me that the part-time or workweek approach may be best from a nutritional standpoint.  Your weekend splurges of meat and dairy can provide you with the vitamins you may be lacking in a strictly vegan diet while the bulk of your meals keeps veggies front and center.  So why not start tonight with a delicious and nutritious Sunday dinner.

Chili-Style Black Beans & Rice
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
12-16 oz dried black beans
4-6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup short grain brown rice
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes 
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
juice of 1 lime

Directions: Rinse dried black beans and soak them overnight.  Drain and set aside.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat and saute onion and garlic until softened and fragrant.  Add the spices and stir.  Add the rice grains and dried beans and stir a few times with the onions, garlic and spices.  Add the broth (you can use water in a pinch in place of all or some of the broth).  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover.  You will need to stir occasionally, checking the progress of the beans and making sure you have enough broth in the pot to ensure they have time to cook through without drying out.  Total cook time will be around 1and 1/2-2 hours.  Once the beans and rice seems tender, add the diced and crushed tomatoes, lime juice and stir allowing the beans & rice to return to a nice hot temperature.  Turn the heat off as you prepare finely diced onion, cilantro and shredded vegan pepper jack cheese for toppings.  Ladle into bowls, top, serve and eat!