Chili Black Beans and Yellow Rice

Yeah, so its 10 pm and I am about to eat dinner. Why so late? I was busily concocting my lecture for one of my intro classes on politics and education for next week, and well, lost track of time (meaning--starting working on the food too late!).

Rice and beans is probably my favorite food. Seriously. And, since becoming well-versed in Viva Vegan, I can make Latin-style rice and beans at the drop of a hat (or the drop of a pre-soaked and cooked bean).

Here's the recipe:

Yellow Garlic Rice (modified from Viva Vegan):

1 c. rice (i used brown, white is more authentic)
1 3/4 c. water
1-2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. Earth Balance
5-6 cloves garlic, crushed
3 big pinches of saffron (you could use annato if saffron is too expensive--here a bag is like $1.99 at the Mexican grocery)
1/2 tsp. Tumeric

I put these all in a rice cooker and let it do its thing. If you are cooking the rice in a pot, fry up the garlic in the olive oil before adding everything else and cooking rice according to instructions on the bag/box.

I also made extra, and will be using the rest to make another batch of rice and beans on Sunday night to eat during my ever-so-hectic week!

Chili-Style Black Beans

1-2 cans black beans or 2 cups cooked beans
1/4 c. water, stock or bean liquid if cooking from dry
1-2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbs. olive oil
1 hot pepper, diced
handful (tsp? tbs?) cumin
handful (tsp? tbs?) Mexican oregano (rubbed in hands to release flavor)
1 can diced tomatoes (mine were chili-flavored, hence the name)
1-2 chipotle in adobo, diced plus a little sauce

1. Fry the garlic in the oil for about 30 seconds, until fragrant
2. Add the diced hot pepper and saute for about 2-3 minutes
3. Add the cumin and oregano and a pinch of cayenne if ya want, and fry for 1 minute
4. Add the tomatoes and chipotles and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring.
5. Add the beans and liquid
6. Simmer until more than half of the liquid is absorbed.

Combine the cooked rice and cooked beans in a pan, stirring around and letting the flavors meld (tip: add the rice to the beans a little at a time to achieve your desired rice-to-beans ratio. If you have extras--eat it with something else!). Also, this tastes better once the flavors have had a chance to sit together for a while, so leftovers are delicious! I notice that this makes for a moist rice and beans, if you want yours drier, either cook the beans longer, and/or add a little less liquid to pre-cooked beans.

Muy delicioso!