Black Bean and Rice

So here is a new recipe I tried last night for dinner. VERY yummy! I would say it was comparable to restaurant rice & beans. It was a bit spicy, a few of us were fine. Others mixed more rice or sour cream in with theirs. So maybe cut back on the crushed red peppers.

Hot rice - I did 5 C for my family of 8
3 (15 oz) black beans, divided
1 C chopped onion
1 C chopped green bell pepper (I didn't have one, so numbers do not reflect it)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t olive oil
14 oz can chicken broth (I just did water and chicken granuales)
6 oz can tomato paste
1 t ground cumin
3/4 t dried crushed red pepper
salt to taste
Topping: shredded cheddar, sliced radishes, chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced green olives, sliced jalapeno peppers, sour cream (numbers dont' reflect any of these toppings, either)

1. Prepare rice
2. Drain and rinse 2 cans of black beans. (Do not drain remaining can)
3. Saute onion, bell pepper nad garlic in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in drained and undrained beans, chicken broth, tomato paste, cumin and dried crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve with hot rice and desired toppings. The full 30 minutes will boil out some juice and get the spices going! YUM!

1/2 C serving of beans: 113 calories, 0.6 g fat, 21.2 g carbs, 7 g fiber, 2.2 g sugar, 7.2 g protein

1/2 C serving of white rice: 121 calories, .2 g fat, 26.6 g carbs, .3 g fiber, 0 sugar, 2.2 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

PS Next week is our last week of this contest at the gym. It's down to the stretch now!