The other day I tried to make beans and rice for lunch and failed.  The outcome was too hot to eat!  See the sad tale here.  I didn’t think I would be ready to try it again, but today the black beans sitting in my refrigerator got to me and I decided to try again.

I was very cautious this time and added the spices a little bit at a time and then tasted.  At first, it was too bland. I kept adding more and finally made it to my taste.  It reminded me of Goldilocks’ experience–too hot, too cold, and eventually just right.  I learned a lot about adapting recipes, especially for single servings.

This is the final product:

Black Beans and Rice  1 serving                               PDF version

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup red pepper (or green, if that is what you have)
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (or pinto beans or whatever)
• 1/4 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/4 tsp chili powder (or to your taste)
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp salt

Sauté the onion, celery, and red pepper in the olive oil about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute longer. Add the beans to heat and then the rice. Season to taste. The listed spices suited me, but I was still being cautious. Probably could have used a little more.

Enjoy.  I ate mine with 1/4 of an avocado, which added up to about a 300 calorie lunch.

A whole grain, a serving of
beans, a serving of ‘other vegetables,’ all cooked in olive oil. Seems like a win for the MIND diet and met my goal for a filling, low-calorie lunch, too.

Nutrition info calculated in MyFitnessPal.com