Spicy Black Beans and Rice

June 27, 2014 by quirkyjazz Leave a comment

I had no idea what to make for dinner this evening.

Every piece of meat I have is in the freezer.  I am too weary to go to the grocery store.

I’ve eaten out too many times in the last couple of weeks and am craving something home-made, with lots of flavor and healthy ingredients.

I came up with something pretty delicious with stuff I have in my pantry, and am very pleased with how it came out!  I hope you’ll try this recipe sometime soon when you are tired and hungry.

 

remolata.net photo credit, via Flickr CC

Ingredients:

1 large chicken breast
Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can regular original Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies
A large squirt of lime juice
Spices — I used Arizona Dreaming and Forward from Penzeys, several dashes of each.
Cooked rice (white or brown)
Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top

1. Cook rice:  I usually use 3 c. of water to 1 1/2 cups of rice and add about 1/2 t. salt (or maybe a little more).  Heat the salted water to boiling then add the rice.  Stir, cover, lower the heat to simmer and set the timer for about 14 minutes.  You can also use 4 c. water to 2 c. rice if you want more rice.  When the timer goes off, give it a stir and you are ready to go!
2. Heat olive oil in a pan.  Brown the chicken.  Slice and dice it on a nearby cutting board when it is nearly cooked through.  I had a frozen chicken breast so I cooked it whole until it was soft enough to dice, removed it from the pan, chopped it up, then returned it to the pan to finish cooking.  If your chicken is thawed, you can dice it raw if you prefer.
3. When the chicken is nearly done, add the chopped onion to the pan.  Sprinkle the spices on.  If you don’t have the Penzeys spice mixes try using cumin, oregano and a little chili powder.  I was going for Mexican-ish flavors.  Squirt a liberal dose of lime juice all over the pan. (I used lime in a bottle, such as Real-lime)
4. To the chicken and onion, add the Ro-Tel (drained) and the black beans (drained).  Heat through.
5. When the rice is finished, combine it with the chicken mixture in whichever pan will hold it all.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add more spice if needed, too.  (Crushed red chilies, chili powder, cayenne — whatever you please).
7. Sprinkle with the shredded sharp cheddar.  Cover and let sit til the cheese melts.

SERVE!  Makes 5 or 6 large servings

This would taste good with sliced avocados, cilantro, and/or sour cream.  You could serve it with tortilla chips and guacamole, too.

This could be a vegetarian recipe quite easily if you leave out the chicken.

(Please note that the photo above is not of the dish I created.  We ate it all!  This is the closest thing that I could find on Flickr.  It is similar, and I included it to give you an idea of what the finished dish could look like.)