Mexican Rice

Well it's about that time again... it's the end of the month which means it's time to get creative with whatever spare ingredients we have left before our big shopping trip (NOTE: Emily actually wrote this in October, but I have been a slacker in publishing the posts). Tonight the weather was almost-November-gloomy and I wanted to make something a little more colorful and exciting than our usual standby, plain old beans and rice. We were blessed to get a few fresh hot peppers from a friend last week, and so they became the inspiration for the rest of this dish. I hesitate to call it Mexican Rice, since I have no idea if Mexicans would eat it or even like it, but I'm hoping they would because it's awesome.

Ingredients:

• 1 c brown rice
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• Olive oil
• 2-3 hot peppers, chopped with seeds removed
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c water
• 1 c frozen corn
• 1/2 Tbsp chili powder + another 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 Tbsp cumin + another 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Black pepper, salt, and ground cayenne to taste

Cook the rice in 2 cups of water (check out this article if you aren't sure how to cook brown rice: http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/healthy_cooking_blog/how_to_cook_brown_rice_perfectly). It will take about 40 minutes. Take a break and go do something fun, or be responsible and get your veggies chopped up and ready for the next step while the rice is cooking.

When there's about 15-20 minutes left on the rice timer, peel the garlic, press it, and let it sit in the open air for 10 minutes. I just do this because Tim heard on NPR that it's healthier. And NPR wouldn't lie... right?

Saute your well-rested garlic, chopped onion, 1/2 tablespoon of the chili powder and 1/2 tablespoon of the cumin in some olive oil (I didn't measure it, just guess how much you need) in a large frying pan. As the onion is starting to get floppy, mix in the hot peppers, making sure that they get coated in the colorful spices along with the onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes more and by now the rice should be done.

Add the rice, 1/2 cup water, and the corn. Keep stirring and heating, and mix in the beans.  By now there are so many ingredients in the pan that you need more spices, so add the rest of the chili powder and cumin, as well as the turmeric (this is really great for color!) and however much cayenne you dare. Heat it all through, season with salt and pepper, and enjoy! 

*Note: I think this recipe would be even better with some grated cheese melted on top and maybe some sliced black olives and Rotel tomatoes. But since the point of the recipe was to use only ingredients we already had, I had to forego those luxuries for now. Feel free to add anything you have on hand that would spice it up even more and make it your own!