Rice and Pinto Beans with Kale

I was in the bookstore several months ago browsing the vegan cookbook section, when I came across a cookbook called "Viva Vegan" by Terry Hope Romero.  I looked at the pictures first and was hooked.  An entire cookbook devoted to vegan Spanish foods?  Forget about it!  That would be a perfect surprise for the Hubby - knowing how to cook a dish his mom used to make for him, but making it more health supportive and super delicious - he would love it!  Truthfully, once I got the book here and actually looked through it in more detail, (it still looked great - don't get me wrong!) I saw that a lot of the recipes are a little more involved with more steps than I would like to take on a day when I get home from work.  It is something that I would reserve cooking on the weekends, unless it was a recipes where I had already had ingredients cooked and could prepare it quickly, as was the case with this meal. 

This recipe was good, with a couple modifications, even better and when I tasted it the next day, the flavors were surprisingly even better.  So if it tastes a little simple, taste it again the next day and you will be pleasantly surprised.  I was surprised to see the vegetarian Worcestershire sauce in the recipe, and luckily I've had a bottle in my fridge for like 6 months - I keep forgetting how good that stuff it.  And of course I have a ton of liquid smoke in my pantry - it's one of my favorite things right now!

Rice and Pinto Beans with Kale:



All Those Delicious Veggies!



Serves 4-6

2 cups cooked white rice (you could use brown)
2 cups cooked pinto beans
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced, about 1 cup
1 medium orange pepper, diced, about 3/4 cup
1/2 medium green pepper, diced, about 1/2 cup
1 jalapeno, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup filtered water
2 mini vegetable boullion cubes
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 large kale leaves, sliced and blanched
Hot sauce to serve

1.  Place a large wok over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil and allow it to become hot.  Once the oil is hot, add the add the onion, orange, green and jalapeno peppers and minced garlic.  Saute, stirring every couple minutes until fragrant and softened. 
2 .  Crush the boullion cubes with your fingers and add  to the cooking vegetables, along with the cumin, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and sea salt.  Add the filtered water at this point as well.  Stir until all the spices are completely mixed.
3.  Add the cooked rice and beans and stir until coated in the vegetables and spice mixture.  Add the cooked, sliced kale and stir to combine.  Allow to cook for a couple more minutes so that some of the moisture evaporates.
4.  Season to taste and serve with lots of hot sauce!  Tasty!
(This was even more delicious and flavorful the next day!)

Enjoy!

-K