My Rice and Beans

I finally made my first meal in my new kitchen and I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, especially considering that I didn't have all the ingredients that typically work in this dish. I made a faux-rice and beans dish which took only 20 minutes to make and had enough to feed me for days.

Rice and Beans

1 red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 can (16 oz) black beans, washed
3 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tsp garlic, chopped
salt to taste
1 cup chopped rice (I used Basmati, because that's all I had in my pantry)
cheese (optional)
salsa (optional)

Basically I just boiled the vegetables and tomato sauce, then added the washed black beans after the vegetables softened. This is a really easy and friendly dish to make, because any and all veggies work. It is also very quick to prep for because all the vegetables can be roughly chopped to any shape. I used tomatoes and tomato sauce to make the "broth," but canned tomatoes of any shape would work as well. Also, the spice level can be adjusted by adding jalapeno peppers or crushed red peppers, which ever you prefer. I cannot emphasize enough how easy and versatile this dish is. To serve, sprinkle cheese and salsa on top on the rice and beans. If you have cilantro, garnish with chopped cilantro. This dish can also be incorporated into a quesadilla by filling a tortilla shell with the rice and beans mixture, adding cheese, and toasting either on the stovetop in a frying pan, or in a panino press, or even by wrapping the shell in foil and placing in the toaster oven. Whatever works for you!
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