Black beans and rice is a staple at our house. We got hooked on it while staying in Costa Rica. Every meal, including breakfast, was served with it. It is so quick, really filling and nutritious. The key for us is to have both the rice and beans cooked up in the fridge waiting - so when hunger hits, we can easily grab this healthier version of fast food.
We cook up lots of brown rice in the rice cooker a few times a week. I have only been doing this for about a year and have no idea why it took so long to figure it out. Rice stores great in the fridge and can be warmed up on the stove with a bit of water in just a few minutes.
You can use canned black beans, but we have been using dried lately and really like them. Soak them overnight and then cook them in a crockpot for a day with some chicken or vegetable stock or even water.
When you are hungry, just warm up the rice and beans in a big sauce pan. Next, comes the magic... it is all in the toppings. I like cheddar, tomato, scallion, hot sauce or jalapeno and cilantro. Also good is mango, salsa, corn, onions, avocado and sour cream. My husband will even add a fried egg. What would be your favorite combination?
You are absolutely right that the trick is to make up a big batch and keep it in the 'fridge. When the mood strikes me it always seems like so much work to make rice and beans (even though, of course, it's not really).
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