Eating rice and beans doesn’t have to be boring! This simple & budget-friendly black beans and coconut rice recipe is delicious and full of flavor.
I am vegetarian but my family is not, so I am used to cooking both ways. My non-vegetarian friends & family, however, often panic at the thought of cooking something vegetarian for me. Inevitably, their minds go blank, and they give me salad. And I have a confession: I am a vegetarian who doesn’t really like salad all that much.
I’ll skip the pious lecture about the horrors of meat versus the virtues of vegetarianism. The truth is that I don’t really care that much whether someone eats meat or not. I personally don’t like the taste, and never have. But from simply a cost standpoint alone, there are some very cheap, great tasting vegetarian recipes that are worth trying whether you are a charter member of PETA or whether you prefer your beef still mooing.
This one is probably my favorite. Rice, coconut, vegetable stock, beans, butter, salsa, & sour cream are all great staples to stock up on when they are on sale, and the remaining produce ingredients–onion, cilantro, & lime–are super cheap, even when they’re not on sale. It is equally delicious on its own for a simple, cost-effective meal, or paired with marinated then grilled vegetable and/or chicken skewers. I have even made a vegan version by substituting the butter for olive oil. If you prefer a milder dish, just skip the cayenne pepper.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread out coconut on baking sheet and bake until toasted, 5-10 minutes.
2. Bring 2 1/2 cups of the broth, salt, pepper, and 2 Tbsp. butter to a boil in large saucepan. Stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook about 20 minutes until water is absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Stir in black beans, spices, and 1 cup of broth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. If bean mixture begins to look too dry, add a little more broth.
4. Roll the lime around on the counter, pressing down with your palm as you roll to loosen the juices. Remove rice from heat. Cut lime in half, then squeeze in juice from both halves. Stir in toasted coconut and cilantro.
5. To serve, spoon rice onto plate. Top with beans, and then garnish with sour cream and salsa.
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Made this the other night with some seasoned chicken thighs. I was a little confused about whether to mix the coconut and lime into the beans or the rice and thought they would go better into the rice. I would definitely make again and try it with the mango salsa.
Wondering the same thing about unsweetened coconut flakes...
Fixed this as a light main course for dinner tonight and loved it. Even my 8-year old ate it up. The mango salsa is what takes it from ordinary to scrumptious, so be sure to use mango that's nice and ripe. Made no changes other than omitting the red onion from the mango salsa because my family won't eat raw onion. Will be fix this again and will recommend to vegetarian friends. Thanks!
Looks great! I'm curious, where does the green onion go? In the rice, the bean mixture, or as a garnish? Thanks!
I made this last week and it was really good. My 7 year old loved it and asked to take some to school for lunch the next day. This will definitely be in regular rotation in our house.
Had this for dinner... It was amazing!!!!
This sounds delicious! Too bad I didn't see it in the summer. Still, will have to try this soon. Seems like it might also be really good with quinoa instead of rice. Thank you for the recipe.
Yes, I was wondering the same as above...when do the green onions go in?
Just wondering what you do with the green onions? Do they go in the beans or the rice, or are they garnish?
I made this a few days ago and just had to come say thanks - my meat-lover hubby raved about how delicious it was and how he would eat it 3 times a week. (I loved it, too!) So great to have such an easy, economical dinner recipe on hand that nobody will mind seeing in frequent rotation.