Easy-Peasy Black Beans 'n' Rice

Sometimes there's just nothing better, especially on a chilly February evening, than homemade comfort food. Even more so when it's super easy, quick, and affordable. This family favorite only takes about 30 minutes to whip up, and costs all of about 7 bucks. Not too shabby.

My apologies in advance for the crappy pictures. There's only so much you can do with an iPhone, folks.

What You Need

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (I like yellow onions as they're a bit sweeter, but red onions would work, too)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup uncooked white rice

1 can chicken broth (if you're a vegetarian or vegan, vegetable broth will work)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne (ground red pepper)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 cans black beans, rinsed & drained

If you don't have fresh garlic or onions on hand, you can substitute garlic powder and dried minced onions in a pinch. Use 1/8 tsp powder per clove of garlic, so 1/4 tsp for this recipe. Soak 2 tbsp dried minced onions in 4 tbsp water for about 10 minutes to equal one medium onion. You can also mix things up by using 1 can of black beans and 1 can of sweet corn. This is one of those recipes that's really easy to personalize to your tastes or what you've got in your cupboards.

What You Do

1. Chop up the onion and mince the garlic. Prepare to have smelly hands for the rest of the week. 

2. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. On my piece-of-crap stove, that's a 6...adjust yours accordingly.

3. Dump the onions & garlic into the hot oil, and sauté until they're nice & translucent...give or take 5 minutes.

4. Add in the rice, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. This really brings out the flavor of the rice, and prevents it from getting all mushy.

5. Add the chicken broth, stir it up, and bring it to a boil. Your kitchen is starting to smell pretty good right about now.

6. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

7. While you're waiting, drain & rinse the black beans. I like the water to run just about clear, because that goopy black bean liquid grosses me out. Mix the beans and spices together in a bowl and let stand.

8. Once your timer dings or beeps, check to be sure the rice has absorbed all the liquid, and fluff it all up with a fork.

9. Add the black bean mixture, and stir it all up. Let it cook over low heat for a few minutes...just long enough to heat up the beans.

10. Schlep this tasty goodness into a bowl. Add salt to taste if you'd like. A little spritz of fresh lime juice is yummy, too. I didn't have any in the fridge, so I left that out tonight. Still turned out delish.

Ok, this picture turned out pretty awesome.

Mangia! Mangia! Buon appetito!

Tune in tomorrow for a recap of my IKEA adventure...

-Mrs. K

I'm sharing this with the girls over at Funky Junk & Serenity Now! Two of my very favorite blogs...check 'em out!