Rice and Bean Casserole

I modified this Brown Rice and Black Bean Casserole from allrecipes.com. By doubling the ingredients, I made 2 casseroles, one with chicken and one vegetarian. They went together quickly and I set the oven on timer so we had a yummy hot meal when we came home from church.  You need 1-1/2 cups of rice and about 2 cups diced chicken (or turkey) for a single recipe. If you don't have any leftovers, start cooking the rice and chicken before you cut up the vegetables. I used 1 tin of black beans and 1 tin of white kidney beans for a double recipe and the combination was very good.

• 1/2 cup converted rice
• 1 cup vegetable broth or salted water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (add seeds if you like heat)
• 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• (1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained)- I used a fresh jalapeno instead
• 1/2 cup chopped or shredded carrots
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:

1. Mix the rice and vegetable broth in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, peppers, carrots, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned.
3. In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, beans, chiles, carrots, and 1/2 the Swiss cheese. Add chicken if not making a meatless dish. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.You can add some crushed tortilla chips if you want. I also added fresh cilantro.
4. Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Spicy Rice and Beans

I cooked a pound of black beans in the crock pot overnight and had enough to make this recipe and a double batch of Black Bean Brownies.

Heat a little oil in a wok or large pan and cook until softened:

1 tsp cumin seeds, coarsely crushed with a pestle
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded or not depending on your heat preference
1 diced red pepper
1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Add 1-1/2 cups of water and 3/4 cup converted rice and cook 20 minutes until rice is done.

Add 3 cups of cooked black beans and heat through before serving.

I served the rice and beans in green pepper shells. Serves 4 or more depending on whether you use it as a main dish or a side dish. It tastes even better the next day.

Variations: Feel free to add onions or other vegetables, a dash of cayenne pepper or seasonings of your choice. Garnish with cilantro.

Rainbow Vegetable Slaw

I have an abundance of vegetables in my fridge and made this large marinated salad that should keep for several days. It is colourful and delicious! I used my food processor to prepare the vegetables.

1 medium cabbage
3 ribs of celery
1 red onion
1 large zucchini
3 sweet peppers

Dressing:
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar or sweetener or to taste
1/3 cup water
2 tsp salt

Mix dressing until sugar is dissolved and pour over prepared vegetables.

Variations: Add any of these-
corn, chickpeas, raisins, jalapeno pepper, carrots, yellow zucchini, cucumber, celeriac, napa, etc