No Fail Black Beans and Rice Garnished with Crispy Baked Plantain Chips
By: Kait Capone
Published: Saturday, December 24, 2011 - 5:25am

Ingredients




Ingredients
1 cup of uncooked white rice (prepared according to box directions)
1 medium red bell pepper chopped
1/2 of a medium sized sweet onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes
1 15.5 oz can of black beans washed and drained
1/2 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of hot cayenne pepper sauce
1 tsp of cilantro used for garnish
Ingredients for Plantain Chips
2 ripe plantains peeled and sliced about 1/4 of an inch thick
1/2 tsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of lemon juice
a sprinkle of cinnamon
a sprinkle of cumin

Preparation

1 1) Begin by preheating oven to 350, place sliced plantains on a greased baking sheet, in a separate bowl mix together olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle it over plantain slices and sprinkle cinnamon and cumin on top, let baked for 35-40 minutes or until brown and crispy 2 2) In a saute pan heat olive oil over medium heat, add in chopped red pepper and onion and saute for 3-5 minutes or until mixture becomes fragrant, add in chopped garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes 3 3) Add diced tomatoes to sauteed vegetables, add in spices and cayenne pepper sauce and lower heat, let simmer for 15 minutes 4 4) Add in black beans and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes 5 5) By now plantain chips should be done or nearly done, once browned, let cool and sit for about 10 minutes, the will become even crisper up by cooling on the hot pan 6 6) Spoon out black bean mixture over cooked white rice, garnish with cilantro and 5 plantain chips and enjoy!

About

Rice and beans is such a simple dish to make but the delicious combination of spices, sauteed vegetables and creamy soft black beans never ceases to impress me. Plus I added crispy plantains which turned out fabulous and added a mild sweetness to the dish!