September 17, 2013

Smoky, spicy black beans and rice | Yoga for life


This week I'm posting recipes that have appeared on the blog in the past, and have since become favorite, go-to meals at our house. The recipe for smoky black beans first appeared in 2010, as a dish I created on-the-fly to be part of a Mexican cuisine birthday dinner for our middle son. Apparently, I was in the midst of a baking curse, creating sunken cupcakes and "bundt tops," so having the black beans turn out so successfully was probably one of the highlights of my kitchen experience that day. (Don't know what a bundt top is? You can read all about it here.) Perhaps you will enjoy this simple but extremely flavorful stove-top casserole as much as we do.


Smoky spicy black beans and rice
  • 1-1/2 cups raw, long grain brown rice
  • 2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium onions)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cans low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups home-cooked)
  • 2 peppers from a can of chipotle in adobo, minced (less if you want to reduce the heat)
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  1. Cook the rice, preferably in a rice cooker. The rice should be fairly dry. I cooked brown basmati in a rice cooker with 1-3/4 cups of water.
  2. In a large wok or skillet, sauté the onion in the oil . As the onion starts to brown, add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for a minute or two until the cumin is toasted and fragrant. (You could also pre-toast the cumin, remove it from the pan, and add it back in at this point.
  3. Add the pepper and celery, and cook for two minutes, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the salt and mix in.
  4. Add the rice and toss with the vegetables. Cook for two minutes to flavor the rice.
  5. Add the beans and chipotle. Heat until the beans are hot.
  6. Optional: Stir in 1/2 cup chopped green onions, and cook 30 seconds before serving. Or garnish with raw chopped green onions.
  7. Optional garnish #2: thinly sliced red radishes.
Generously serves six as a side dish, or four as a main course alongside salad and a vegetable.

note: If you want the dish smokey but not spicy, use 1 teaspoon of mild smoked Spanish paprika instead of the chipotle in adobo.

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Yoga for life



A friend sent me a video by Julia Warr that I found very inspirational, so I'm sharing it with you.

22 comments:

  1. This looks like another great recipe. We just got a rice cooker yesterday, too, so it seems meant to be! I'm pinning this before I forget. :)

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    1. Thanks! I miss my rice cooker a lot but am reluctant to add another appliance to the kitchen. We eat a lot less rice than we used to since the arsenic scare, but there's nothing like the texture of rice cooked in a rice cooker — or in a pressure cooker.

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  2. YUM! I love that you're using chipotles to make this smoky instead of using scary chemical flavourings!

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    1. I read somewhere that liquid smoke is really not so scary. I looked it up again, and on Chowhound it says, "Wright’s Hickory Seasoning is made by collecting the smoke from burning hickory wood in a condenser and cooling it until it forms water, says Marge Broncaccio, a B&G Foods representative. The droplets are captured and filtered twice, before being bottled without any additional ingredients."

      Chipotle in adobo is tastier, but then I worry about things leaching from the cans. It's always something, isn't it?

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  3. What a great idea to revisit past recipes! I'm guilty of not always reading "the history" of blogs I'm new to follow.

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    1. It's hard to find the time to read blog posts from the past — I can hardly keep up with the present. Mofo is really challenging me both as a poster and a reader! Actually, I think my old posts are a lot better than my newer ones — more fun to read.

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  4. I remember your smoky spicy black beans and rice post! They looked as delicious and wholesome then as they do now. Rice and beans is always such a satisfying meal.

    I am embarrassed to admit that Maia's forward bends are way more advanced than mine. Very inspirational video, thanks for sharing!

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    1. You have a better memory than I do!

      Maia is in her 90s, but her poses would still be good if she were 50 years younger.

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  5. Rice and beans is one of my favorite combos ever. So satisfying. I love that you added peppers to it - yum!

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    1. Mine, too. I love beans — especially with smoky chipotle peppers!

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  6. I must confess I didn't watch the video. Yoga scares me.
    But, unlike many readers I did read your posts about the sunken tarts and the bundt cake with pine needle. Good saves, Andrea.
    I can't find wildwood soy yogurt anymore, I see used it in your 2010 recipe, which is a little different than today's so you are not really cheating.
    PS I have been serving my guests more rice since the arsenic scare.

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    1. Yoga is much less scary than running, GiGi. Thank you for taking the time to read my old post. I think the bundt top with its candle would make a perfect crown for someone to wear for St. Lucia Day.

      Wildwood has stopped making yogurt. They may have been affected by the closing of a production facility that also made Whole Soy. Whole Soy is expected to be producing again this fall in a new facility, but haven't heard anything about Wildwood. Haven't really been paying attention because we rarely buy yogurt.

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    2. That was the only one I bought. Thank you for the information!

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    3. That was the only one I bought, too. The others all taste too sweet. :(

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  7. This reminds me of the gallo pinto that's everywhere in Central America - I can't get enough of that stuff, but I can never work out the herb or spice I'm missing that makes it taste just right. Maybe it's just being on holiday? Either way, beans and rice are calling out to me now!

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    1. I've never had gallo pinto, so I can't be helpful, but try the smoky beans and see how they compare.

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  8. This sounds exactly like my kind of dish. We all love black beans and rice and if they are smokey, it's even better!

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    1. The beans are also very spicy, so you have to make plain ones for the toddler. Does she like beans and rice? Miss E will rarely eat foods that are combined — beans alone, rice alone.

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  9. This comment is for your your "Raw Snacks" post, but I'm not entering the giveaway and I don't want to mess up your comment count. (I'm not a big fan of chewy, raw bars)

    I just wanted to say that the picture of Callie trying to steal your bar is hilarious! "Oh, for me? Don't mind if I do!" :D

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    1. It was even more hilarious seen through the lens of my camera. Notice how blurry the photo is? I hadn't expected to see her face and open mouth at that moment. :)

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  10. Chipotles in adobo add so much flavor! They were one of my best discoveries from Viva Vegan. This bean & rice dish sounds terrific.

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    1. Chipotles in adobo have a great flavor, and also a great heat. I've been known to go overboard and make a dish that's really hard to eat because it's so spicy! This is one of our favorite go-to dishes because it's so easy but tastes so good. We've even been known to serve it to company as part of a Mexican dinner.

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