Black Beans and Rice

My theme of "easy" recipes seems to be continuing here with my addition of a simple black beans and rice recipe. Normally, this is a pretty straightforward vegetarian meal, but since I cook for omnivores, I bolstered the nutrition of this dish by adding shredded chicken (no skin). The great thing about this recipe is that it's almost like a blank canvas. You can easily add or subtract ingredients, change the seasonings to suit your palate, and add everything from shredded chicken all the way to shrimp, if desired. As a note, you may wish to rinse your rice beforehand, because it comes out kind of sticky and clumpy after cooking if you don't (blame the starch!). Serve as a main dish or side dish - you could even put some of this inside a soft tortilla shell and make burritos, if desired. The possibilities are endless!

Black Beans and Rice

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup uncooked white rice

*1½ cups reduced sodium, fat free chicken broth

1 tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)

3½ cups reduced sodium or no salt added black beans, drained and rinsed

*Kosher salt

Heat up the oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for around 4 minutes. Add the garlic and briefly sauté until fragrant, around 30 seconds. 

Add the rice and sauté for another 2 minutes. Stir constantly, or else the rice will stick to the bottom of the pot and begin to burn.

Add the broth, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add the spices and black beans. If you are adding pre-cooked meat, add it along with the spices and beans; bring everything back up to temperature. Taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary. Serve immediately.

Serves 10 (½ cup servings) as a side, or 4 - 6 as a main

NOTE:  I used no salt added chicken broth, so to compensate for the lack of salt, I added 1 tsp. to the broth to start, then added a little more salt when I added the beans and chicken. If you choose to use the NSA broth, you can make this meal gluten-free.