Black Beans and Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
- 1 1/2 cup water (or as directed on rice package)
- pinch salt, if desired
- 1-15-oz can black beans (cooked)
- dash-1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8-1/4 tsp ground oregano
- 1/8-1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 ounce low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 large or 2 small ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1 green onion, minced
- 2-4 sprigs fresh cilantro
Instructions
Cook rice as directed on package. If no directions, rinse rice thoroughly, place in small pan with water and salt (optional). Heat on high until boiling, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 40 minutes. Turn heat off, let rice sit for 5 minutes, remove cover and fluff with a fork. Empty black beans into microwaveable bowl. Stir in spices (start with the smaller amounts, then increase to taste). Bring beans to simmer in microwave. While rice cooks, let sit to blend flavors. Wash and chop tomatoes, mince onion. Wash cilantro, strip leaves off, tear/crush the leaves and add them to the tomato and onion. Mix. While rice cooks, let sit to blend flavors. Grate cheese. (At this point, everything may be placed in the refrigerator for later reheating, if desired.) Divide rice in half, and spread each half onto a medium-sized plate. Divide beans in half, and spread each half over the rice. If rice and beans are cold (e.g., were in the 'fridge), heat in microwave before adding cheese. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese over each plate, return plate to microwave briefly (15-20 seconds) to melt the cheese. Top with salsa immediately before eating.