Vegetarian Cuban Black Beans and Coconut Rice
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Ingredients
  • Black Beans:
  • 1 bag dry black beans, soaked overnight in water (twice as much water as beans)
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped into large pieces (you will have to remove them later, so make ‘em big)
  • 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped into large pieces (same reason as above)
  • Mushrooms *I added but the recipe did not call for
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 box organic, free-range, low sodium chicken broth (or water if you are a vegetarian), plus enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches
  • Coconut Rice:
  • I did not make the rice, Gabby is allergic to rice and I substituted quinoa but I have a strong aversion to coconut so I just made plain quinoa and used the black bean soupish/sauce over it.
  • 2 cups jasmine rice, washed and drained well 1½ cups low fat coconut milk (shake can to mix well before opening) 1½ cups water
Instructions
  1. Black Beans:
  2. Drain the beans in a colander and rinse with water. Over medium heat in a large pot, saute the onion, green pepper, mushrooms, cumin, 1 tsp. salt and a pinch of black pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the liquid and black beans and simmer over medium-low heat for another 45 minutes (approx.). Stir frequently to make sure the beans aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add more water if it is getting too low. When the beans are tender, remove ⅓ of the beans, the onions, green pepper and garlic. Puree them in a blender or with an immersion blender in a bowl and return to the pot of beans. The consistency should be like a thick soup. If too thick, add more water, if the opposite then simmer a while longer to thicken it up.
  3. Coconut Rice:
  4. Combine rice, coconut milk and water. Stir. When boiling, immediately cover with tight fitting lid, turn heat to medium-low and simmer undisturbed for 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat but do not open lid. Really, no peeking! Let sit for 10 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
  5. Plantains:
  6. **I did not make plantains either but the recipe calls for them.
  7. plantains, the riper the better. A good plantain is almost black on the outside, so make sure to buy them several days in advance. Peel and slice them into 2 inch pieces, saute in a non-stick skillet with ¼ C. Olive oil until golden on all sides.
Recipe by mommy's two cents at http://mommystwocents.com/2012/03/black-bean-and-quinoa/