Spanish Brown Rice and Beans

By Francesca Picarazzi

The beans are optional, but they’re much better together.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Yield: about 7 cups of rice and beans

Ingredients

  • 2 cups uncooked brown rice
  • 8 oz. tomato sauce
  • 6 stems cilantro
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 4 cups of vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 3 ~16 oz. cans of beans, any kind without additives

Equipment

  • a 5 quart pot with lid
  • a kitchen knife
  • a cutting board
  • a strainer

Instructions

  1. Wash brown rice in the strainer.
  2. Water saute brown rice until it begins to darken - at least five minutes.
  3. Mince garlic.
  4. Mince cilantro.
  5. Add broth, cilantro, tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin, and pepper to rice in pot.
  6. Bring to a boil.
  7. Stir and cover.
  8. Reduce heat to low.
  9. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the rice is cooked and there is no liquid left.
  10. Remove from heat.
  11. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  12. Rinse beans in strainer.
  13. Add beans to rice.
  14. Mix beans into rice.