Meatless Mondays: Mama G's Black Beans and Rice

Hello! You may have heard that meat (especially beef and pork) is pretty bad for the planet due to the sheer amount of resources and energy they require to produce. So, we are joining the Meatless Mondays trend to ease our way into a lower meat consumption. Every week, we'll share a different recipe, join us!

Mama G's Black Beans and Rice

Beans and rice is a staple dish across the globe. My mom's (Mama G- pictured on the right) variation is full of flavor with peppers, spices, and of course, love <3, and paired with delicious Syrian style rice. This is an easy, affordable, and quick meal to feed a family of 5. Here goes:

Ingredients:

Beans

• 2 TBSP olive oil

• 1 garlic clove minced

• 1 medium onion chopped

• 1 green and 1 red bell pepper

• 1 fresh tomato

• 1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro

• 1/2 TSPN cumin

• 2 cans of black beans (or 1 large can) *we use Goya, but that's to your discretion ;)

• salt and pepper to taste

Rice

• 2 TBSP olive oil or butter

• 2 TBSP fine noodles chopped (e.g. vermicelli, angel hair)

• 1.5 cups rice

• 3 cups water

• salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized pot, saute the garlic and onion in olive oil over medium heat, until they are translucent.

2. Drain the juice out of the beans and add them to the pot. *dry beans are usable too, just soak them overnight in water

3. Add the salt, black pepper, and cumin to the beans and let it saute for a few minutes.

4. In a blender, puree the bell peppers and tomato. Add them to the pot, cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. *if you don't have a blender, mince the veggies very finely

5. As the beans cook, saute the fine noodles with the olive oil/butter until they are golden (they burn quickly, so be careful!). Do this in a medium pot over medium heat.

6. Add the rice and salt and saute for a few minutes, then add the water (rice always cooks with a 1rice:2water ratio). Bring to a simmer and then lower the heat to medium, cover the pan and let it cook for ~20 min. When all the water has evaporated from the rice, it's ready.

7. After the beans have simmered, add the fresh cilantro simmer for 5 more minutes.

8. Enjoy!

If you don't want to eat these beans with rice, they are also amazing in Venezuelan arepas, empanadas, tacos, and burritos!

DM us a picture of you enjoying any of our Meatless Monday meals and we'll feature it on our Instagram @envicoalition or share it with the #meatlessmonday.

Stay safe and meatless,

Dianna