black beans Archives -

July 21, 2014

Coconut Ginger Rice, Black Beans, and Melted Monterey Jack Cheese

One of my recent lunch dates with the kids was at Frita Batidos and we ordered their “Best Snack Ever”. It’s a bowl of layered coconut ginger rice, black beans, melted cheese, and topped with a cilantro-lime salsa. It seriously is the BEST. SNACK. EVER. I had so much fun experimenting at home to come up with my own version. While my version here isn’t exactly the same, it’s close, and it’s super-delicious. The coconut and ginger flavor is subtle, but it really adds a lot to the layers of fragrant rice, creamy black beans, melty cheese, and fresh cilantro lime salsa. I could eat this forever.

While there are several components to this dish, each component is fairly simple to make and it takes minutes to assemble. I used six individual bowls for baking, but it also works in a 9×13 baking dish. The bowls or casserole can be prepared and assembled ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until it’s ready to be baked.

Coconut Ginger Rice, Black Beans, and Melted Monterey Jack Cheese | Gather & Dine

Black Beans with Coconut Ginger Rice

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the black beans:

½ pound black beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
dash ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch + ¼ cup water

For the coconut ginger rice:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1½ cups brown jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
1 (14 -ounce) can coconut milk
1 cup water
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

For cilantro-lime salsa:

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

For assembly:

12 ounces monterey jack cheese, grated
½ teaspoon chili powder for sprinkling

Instructions

For the black beans:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Saute until onion softens and starts to become translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the black beans, chicken broth, water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and quietly simmer the beans until they are soft and tender, about 2 hours.
Mix the cornstarch and water together with a fork. Gradually stir the cornstarch mixture into the black beans. Continue stirring until black beans begin to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the lime juice. Remove bay leaf and set aside.

For the coconut ginger rice:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and give a quick stir to evenly coat the rice. Add the coconut milk, water, and salt. Bring to a boil and then turn heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until rice is tender. Turn off heat and allow rice to sit for another 10 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro and set aside.

For the cilantro-lime salsa:

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble:

Spread a layer of coconut ginger rice in the bottom of six individual bowls or in a 9x13 baking dish. Next layer with the black beans and then the grated Monterey Jack cheese. Sprinkle with chili powder.
Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted. Top with cilantro-lime salsa for serving.

Notes

*Coconut Ginger Rice updated 3/08/16

Casserole or bowls can be assembled in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake. If refrigerated, increase baking time to 25-30 minutes.

June 23, 2014

Turkey Spinach Taquitos {with Black Beans and Mascarpone}

In my freezer, I almost always make sure to keep some variety of taquitos prepared so that I can quickly take them out and heat them in the oven whenever I need a quick meal. As much as I love to cook, the reality is that I do not have time to cook everyday, especially now that it’s summer vacation. Having fun takes up so much time!

I make a few different versions of taquitos and although I’m not sure which one stands out as my favorite, these Turkey Spinach Taquitos are SO GOOD. Mascarpone cheese adds creaminess to the delicious filling of cumin-scented ground turkey, fresh spinach, and black beans. The original recipe from Giada de Laurentiis adds grated cheddar cheese to the top of the taquitos, but I omitted the extra cheese to keep things a bit lighter and also to make these more freezer-friendly. Instead of the cheese, I brushed the taquitos with some olive oil and sprinkled some fleur de sel salt on top. I usually double the recipe and freeze the extra taquitos on a big baking sheet. Once the taquitos are frozen, I transfer them to gallon-sized ziploc bags and take the taquitos out as needed. Taquitos can be heated directly from the freezer, just add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Serve with guacamole and salsa.

Turkey Spinach Taquitos {with Black Beans and Mascarpone}

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, minced
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey thigh
1 tablespoon cumin
2 packed cups baby spinach, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature (6 ounces)
12 8-inch whole wheat or spouted grain tortillas
olive oil for brushing on the taquitos
fluer de sel salt or other course sprinkling salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-hight heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Saute until the onion softens and starts to become translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the ground turkey and cumin and continue cooking until turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain about half the fat from the ground turkey mixture and discard.
Add the spinach and cook until spinach is just wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the black beans. Use a pastry cutter to mash some of the beans and then add the mascarpone and mix thoroughly.
Spoon about ¼-1/3 cup of filling onto the middle of a tortilla. Roll up taquito and place seam side down on a lightly oiled baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Use a pastry brush to brush a light coating of olive oil onto each taquito. Sprinkle with some fleur de sel to finish.
Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes, until taquitos are lightly golden brown.

Notes

adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

April 18, 2014

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Whenever I make this vibrant and colorful salad, I feel happy and healthy. I learned a great tip for making quinoa from Lorna Sass’s book Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way. She recommends making the quinoa as if cooking pasta, rather than cooking rice. This means draining the extra cooking water rather than letting the quinoa sit to absorb all of the water. Ever since I started making quinoa this way, there has been no more mushy quinoa and it’s done perfectly every time. This is my own version of a salad that I once saw at the prepared foods counter at Whole Foods. It keeps well for several days in the fridge and is great for packing lunches or picnics!

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

For the Salad:
1 cup red quinoa, uncooked
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked corn, fresh or frozen
½ red pepper, chopped
⅓ cup cilantro, chopped
⅓ cup red onion, finely chopped
For the Dressing:
1½ tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon fine grain salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
juice of ½ lime

Instructions

For the salad:

In a medium pot, boil 6-8 cups of water over high heat. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. When the water is boiling, slowly add the quinoa and boil uncovered for 11-14 minutes. After 10 minutes, start checking the quinoa for doneness. The quinoa is done when the "dot" in the middle of the quinoa starts to disappear and when some of the white filaments start to come off the seeds. Drain the quinoa over a fine mesh strainer and let cool.
In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to combine the quinoa with the rest of the ingredients. Add the dressing and mix thoroughly. Season to taste with extra salt and pepper.

For the dressing:

In a small bowl, use a wire whisk to blend ingredients.