Meatless Monday

We are still doing meatless Monday….most of the time. It doesn’t always work out, but it can be a nice change when the meat is not the main focus of the meal. One of my faves is a black bean and rice skillet.

I can’t claim it’s an original recipe because it’s not, but mine is a combo of about three other ones with more seasonings added. My main complaint with the ones I tried were how bland they were. Here’s mine:

1/2 cup white onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, any color, chopped

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 can fire roasted tomatoes, undrained 

1 zucchini, sliced about 1/2” thick, then quartered

1 can whole kernel corn, undrained 

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup white rice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup grated cheese, I use cheddar or Mexican blend.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add onion and garlic and sauté until slightly soft, add zucchini and sauté a few more minutes. Add rice and stir while sautéing until rice is slightly toasted. Add remaining ingredients except cheese with 1-1/2 cups of water and stir. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed. 

When the rice is done and all the liquid is absorbed, add the cheese, remove from heat, and re-cover until the cheese is melted.

This makes about four generous servings. If you try it, let me know what you think!