Red Beans & Rice with Veggies

Gluten Free & Vegan

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Juan and I live quite contentedly off-the-grid. That doesn’t mean something miniscule like we take breaks from Facebook. It means we don’t have access to the wallop of electricity it takes to run a refrigerator. We eat a lot of fresh food from our farm, make pickles and preserves, and rely on a variety of bean dishes to provide protein and keep us healthy. Back in my city life, I was sometimes vegetarian, sometimes Ayurvedic, sometimes neither, but almost always on a budget. So I can say with supreme confidence that I have mastered the art of creating tasty and satisfying dishes with the humble bean.

With extra veggies and quinoa added, this  updated version of classic red beans and rice is a nourishing complete meal in one bowl. Make extra for an easy-to-pack lunch for the next day. Or have it for breakfast topped with cocoa nibs for real sustaining energy to power through a long morning. 

This recipe is moderately spicy. Adjust the heat to taste.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup dry red kidney beans, *properly rinsed and soaked

  • Cooking oil

  • Generous teaspoon of all or any of the following spices: cumin powder, crushed coriander seed, turmeric powder, chili powder, or achiote

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 1 cayenne or jalapeño pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced

  • 1 small to medium green bell pepper, cubed

  • 1 small to medium red or yellow bell pepper, cubed 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into small pieces

  • 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes or 4-5 Roma tomatoes

  • salt and pepper

  • 2 tbsp brown or raw sugar dash of hot sauce (optional)

  • 1 cup rice

  • ¼ cup quinoa 

*If you are new to eating beans and want to cook them properly, please review How to Prepare Beans for Maximum Flavor (and minimum toot).

Utensils

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  • Cutting board

  • Sharp knife

  • Heavy pot with lid for cooking the beans

  • Colander

  • Pot with lid for cooking the rice and quinoa

Directions

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  • Bring water and soaked beans up to a boil then simmer until the beans just begin to soften (about 30 min). Organize and prep the other ingredients.  

  • Test the beans. When you can make a dent in a bean with your thumbnail, they’re good. Stop cooking and drain through a colander. Set aside.

  • Wash out and pat dry the pot you used to cook the beans. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the pot over a medium flame. Add the spices and heat for 15 seconds until they become aromatic. 

  • Add the garlic, ginger, onion, and hot pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent and it all smells divine. (In Latin America, any combination of herbs and spices used to add flavor to a dish is called a "sofrito").

  • Add the peppers, carrot, and beans. Toss in a dash of salt and mix everything together. Put the lid on the pot, lower the heat, and let all the vegetables "sweat" for a few minutes. This allows the flavors of the sofrito to develop and blend with the beans and vegetables.

  • Remove the lid (careful, it will be hot) and add enough water to cover the beans and veggies by an inch or two. Add the tomatoes — whole — with another dash of salt, replace the lid, and bring the mixture back up to a boil.

  • When the mix has boiled for five minutes, take off the lid. Be careful of the steam. You'll see that the tomatoes have blanched and the skins have opened. Lift the tomatoes out of the pot and put them in a bowl to cool down a bit.

  • Put the lid back on the pot and let it simmer over medium heat.

  • When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off. You can discard or eat them. I love the tomato skin with a touch of salt, oregano, and olive oil. Juan doesn’t care for it. More for me.

  •  Mash the tomatoes in the bowl. Add them back to the pot.

  • Now season to taste with salt, pepper, a touch of brown sugar, and a splash of hot sauce if you like.

  • Replace the lid, bring it all back up to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for about 30 min until the beans are soft. 

  • While the beans are cooking, prepare the rice and quinoa. Use a variety of white unpolished rice — it has the same cooking time as the quinoa, about 25 minutes. You can cook them together in one pot. The quinoa adds texture, flavor, and nutrition to the rice.


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Kristen Krash is the co-founder and director of Sueño de Vida, a regenerative cacao farm and reforestation mission in Ecuador. Sueño de Vida works to educate and inspire everyday people about permaculture, sustainable living, environmental activism, and healthy living all in the name of living more in harmony with nature to create a better world for us all.

You can support the Sueño de Vida mission today by purchasing our cacao or contributing to direct reforestation.

Thank you.


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Pickled Red Cabbage (with canning instructions)