Arroz con Frijoles Negros - Black Bean & Rice

World Cup fervor has me daydreaming about my favorite Latin dishes.  The best thing about Latin food is that it's been one-pot, working-woman, quick to prepare for generations. Long before Rachel Ray, women in Latin communities were making delicious, flavorful meals simply and efficiently. This recipe relies on their cooking ingenuity, but adds a whole-food flare. 

This meal is an athlete's dream. If you are as active as me, or you're working hard to strengthen a tired body, prepare this generous dish and serve up a healthy serving of protein, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables.

Ingredients:
2 cups sprouted Brown Rice or long grain White Rice
2 teaspoons of Saffron
1 teaspoon of Turmeric
3 cups of water 
1 can of diced Tomatoes, with green peppers and onions
2 cups of canned Organic Black Beans, drained and rinse
2 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup of Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Add the turmeric and saffron to the water and bring to a boil. Add the can of diced tomatoes and rice, turn down heat allow to simmer for 25 minutes. Keep the rice covered and allow it absorb the last of the water. 

While the rice simmers, rinse the black beans with hot water and drain them. Chop the cilantro and Roma tomatoes. Combine black beans, oregano, salt and pepper. Fold in the cilantro and chopped tomatoes. 

At this point, you're probably thinking: aren't I supposed to heat the beans? Nope. Black beans, once cooked, do not need a lot of heat to rewarm them. Too much heat makes them mushy. Canned beans are precooked, so once you fold them into the newly cooked rice, the heat and steam from the rice is sufficient to warm the black beans. 

Remove the rice from the stove and fold in the black bean mixture. Allow to sit for about 6-8 minutes and then serve. The rice will finish heating the remaining ingredients. 

Enjoy!

Makes 4 Servings. 

This recipe is:
- Gluten Free 
- Vegan
- Whole Food