Wednesday, January 6, 2010

I'm a convert




I've been slow to embrace the idea of beans and rice.  This is a puzzle to me because I love beans, and rice, while not being my favorite grain isn't too shabby in my book either.  I really have no idea whatsoever why I've never bothered to try this but a couple of times.  But this recipe intrigued me.  It's in Gourmet's new [and swan song of a] cookbook as well as April 2007's issue.  The idea is black beans spiked with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and sherry (I used apple cider vinegar because I lacked sherry), long grain rice, and roasted cubes of sweet potatoes, all topped with toasted pumpkin seeds.

It all sounds like a lot of preparations, but I made the whole smattering in under 30 minutes, what with my use of canned beans (I know how easy it is to cook beans, but canned is just how I live...my one true convenience item).  I'm totally amazed by how such unlikely ingredients like balsamic vinegar and soy sauce would transform black beans into a totally delicious concoction.  The roasted sweet potatoes are a treat; my son loved downed 3 huge cubes (a triumph for a baby who's not super excited about solids yet), and the pumpkin seeds add a nice bit of texture to round everything out.  Maybe I'll eat beans and rice more often. :)

No comments:

Post a Comment