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Bejeweled Rice and Beans and Other Things

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Mexican, South American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white rice can use Basmati, Jasmine or your favorite
  • ¾ cup precooked black beans fresh or canned
  • ¾ cup onions, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
  • 1½ tablespoons fresh jalapeño pepper, diced adjust to preferred heat
  • 2 teaspoons cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh red, yellow, and orange (mixed) sweet peppers, diced
  • 1 tablespoon green olives, diced or thinly sliced
  • 1½ tablespoons fresh garlic, diced
  • ½ cup white wine Sauvignon Blanc or your favorite
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons tomatoes, diced fresh or canned (reserve juice)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons tomato juice (from above)
  • 1½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste

Instructions

  • Wash rice and set on clean paper towels to dry. While drying, wash and prepare the vegetables.
  • Heat and oil pan with olive or avocado oil. When hot, add onions, garlic, jalapeño pepper, red, yellow, and orange (mixed) sweet peppers, and cilantro. Mix and cook on low-to-medium heat until onions become glassy and the other vegetables soften.
  • Make sure there's enough oil on the bottom of pan; add more if needed. Add dried rice and mix constantly for several minutes until it becomes lightly toasted (smells yummy!). Rice should turn light brown. (Do not let it get dark or burn!)
  • Once toasted, add the water and kosher salt. Lightly mix and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover.
  • After 7 minutes, add wine, olives, tomatoes, tomato paste. Taste and adjust spices. Cover pan and continue simmering for another 5 minutes or until the rice is done. Fluff rice gently with fork. Add tomato juice and beans. Stir lightly over medium heat until beans are warm. Taste and adjust spices for the final desired outcome!

Notes

This recipe is great on its own as a vegan dish; but for those who can't resist the temptation, add pieces of cooked chicken or turkey sausage when you add the beans. This dish is great hours later or even the next day: the flavors meld together and enter an entirely new level!