Mexican Beans & Rice

Hi Everyone, remember me!? Sorry I have been MIA for the past few weeks! Between recovering from vacation (it is a hard life lounging on a tropical beach for a week ya know!), and a week long seminar I am finally home and cooking again. At the end of my seminar I spent some great time with my friend Alicia and we made Beans and Rice which were delicious and the inspiration for this meal. I did change things up, adding more veggies and using chorizo instead of ham but the basics are the same. This is a simple meal with tons of flavors, hearty and healthy - some of my favorite characteristics in a dish.



Mexican Beans & Rice: Serves 4

1 Box Goya Yellow Rice
2tsp Olive Oil
8oz Red Potato - Cubed into 1/4" Cubes
1 Bell Pepper - Chopped
1 Onion - Chopped
1oz Chorizo - Chopped into small chunks
1/8-1/4tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4tsp Coriander
1/4tsp Cumin
8oz Tomato Sauce
1C Salsa
16oz Canned Pinto Beans - Drained & Rinsed
1C Water
Salt & Pepper

First chop up all your veggies, put a teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the potato, bell pepper, onion and chorizo and stir to coat. Add the cayenne pepper, cumin & coriander with some salt and pepper (light on the salt as the chorizo has lots of flavor). Cook for 8-10 minutes until the veggies soften up then add the beans, tomato sauce, salsa and water, give it a stir, bring up to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Once you set the veggies to simmer you can get started on the rice. Add 2C of water to a pot with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, bring up to a boil then add the goya rice (it has seasonings in the rice packet to make it nice and tasty!), let it boil for a minute, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for approximately 25 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed into the rice. Fluff with a fork then split the rice into 4 bowls, top with the veggie mix, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving