Rice & Beans by Jillian

Happy Monday folks!  I've been meaning to post this recipe for like the past three Mondays, but you know I'm just so scatterbrained busy and important that it never got done. 

I picked up Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism Cookbook at the library (I ♥ the library) and it is fantastic!  There are tons of veg options and everything looks super yummy.  I've had trouble locating a few ingredients that she calls for, but for the most part the recipes are simple enough.

I started out with a recipe for Black Beans & Rice from the side dishes chapter.  It was so fantastic that I've made it several times!  I like to eat it as a main course, with some salad on the side.  Beans & rice is a fantastic meal replacement for meat because the combination makes up a complete protein.

Meal for One.

The dish has lots of flavor with tons of tomatoes and onions.

The perfect bite.

I served it as a side dish as well with some steamed broccoli and grilled tofu. 

Substance.

We're still doing P90X, so Drew is all about eating healthy.  Apparently a lot of people who do P90X follow the Master Your Metabolism eating plan.  We're kind of a hodge podge at our house, but Drew really liked the beans and rice... along side a steak.  I can't win them all.

Mmmm...

This dish is so versatile!  I made a batch for our lake trip this weekend and used it as a filler for my tacos.  Bueno!

Black Beans & Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried black beans, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 cup long-grain brown rice (I used wild rice from Trader Joe's)
• 1 14-oz can low sodium diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves, chopped (I forgot this every time)
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I left this out and used a chipotle in adobo instead)

Method:

• In a large saucepan, place the beans and add water to cover by 2 inches.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until almost tender, about 1 hour.  Drain; set aside.
• In the saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.  Turn the heat to medium and stir in the tomato paste; cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the cumin and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring, until well incorporated and toasted, about 2 minutes.  Stir in 2 cups of water, the tomatoes (I added their juice too), beans, chipotle, oregano, bay leaf, and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice and beans are tender to the bite, about 1 hour (mine took a little longer, maybe an extra 15 minutes).  Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
• Add the parsley (oops) and the hot sauce, if using, and use a fork to fluff the rice and beans and incorporate the parsley.  Remove the bay leaf.  Serve.

Another fun aspect of the Master Your Metabolism Cookbook is that it tells you the nutritional stats on every dish.  For instance, this recipe makes about 8 servings and each serving has 202 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein.  Fantastico!

Happy {meatless} Monday!