We’ve had some awesome weather lately. Highs in the low 80’s and nights in the 50’s. That’s just how I like it! Our veggie and herb garden has been planted for weeks now and last weekend we planted all our flowering annuals. Yes, it’s definitely spring time! But, as we all know, Mother Nature sometimes has a way of lulling us into a false sense of security. Just when we were really enjoying those nice warm temperatures, she decided to send a big cold front our way. And it was quite a strong one, too. Yesterday’s skies started out a little overcast, switching over to rain about mid-afternoon. And once the rain started, the temperature dropped from 82 to 57 in about two hours. Wow!
That kind of cool, rainy weather always stirs something in me to cook comfort food. The sort of food that makes you feel warm and cozy. Like beans and rice. This was one of those recipes that I wasn’t really sure where I was going when I started it, but I ended up in a very good place. A warm and fuzzy place that was just what we needed for a cool, rainy evening.
Begin by chopping some green pepper, onion, garlic, celery and jalapeno.
Sauté the vegetables in olive oil until they’re just crisp-tender.
Then rinse and drain two cans of black beans and add those to the pan along with a can of diced tomatoes (with their juice), vinegar, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix everything together well and bring it up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 45 minutes to an hour until the beans are very tender.
In the meantime, prepare your saffron rice. I have to be honest with you and tell you that I used a “yellow rice” mix, but if you want to make a homemade saffron rice, please do! I, however, have no problem with taking a shortcut every now and then :-) And this would be great with plain, steamed white rice as well. I used the saffron rice simply because I liked the idea of the colors together.
To serve, spoon the rice into bowls and top with the black bean mixture. Garnish with chopped parsley, chopped green onions and/or salsa.
Enjoy!
Black Beans and Saffron Rice
Ingredients
- 1 large green pepper, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
- 3 tblsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ¼ tsp. ground cumin
- Hot cooked yellow (saffron) rice (note: I use the Mahatma brand yellow rice mix)
- Chopped parsley, chopped green onion and/or salsa for topping
Instructions
- In a large high-sided skillet, sauté the green pepper, onion, garlic and jalapeno in olive oil until tender.
- Add the drained and rinsed beans and the tomatoes with their juice. Stir well to combine.
- Add the vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper and cumin mixing well.
- Bring to a boil then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer 45 minutes to an hour or until beans are very tender.
- Serve over hot cooked yellow rice. Garnish with chopped green onion and/or salsa.
Notes
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Other black bean recipes you might enjoy from around the internet:
- Black Bean Open Faced Omelet from She Wears Many Hats
- Black Bean and Mango Salad from Bush’s Beans
- Martha Stewart’s Black Beans and Sausage
- Homesick Texan’s Basic Black Beans
- Southwestern Chicken Soup with Black Beans and Corn from For the Love of Cooking
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