Rice and Beans with Corn and Tomatoes
by Randy Hoelscher, Winter Texan
This recipe is as tasty as it is beautiful. We made it for a meatless main dish, but it is equally well-suited for a delicious side dish. It is easy to make, requiring only a single skillet. This dish comes together quickly, so I suggest prepping the ingredients before beginning the cooking process. Three of us had this for dinner and had some left over, so let us say it serves four as a main course or six as a side dish.
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 16-ounce package of frozen sweet corn, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon canned, minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken broth, and it was fine.)
1 cup long grain white rice, rinsed
About 12 ounces grape tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup (or to taste) chopped, fresh cilantro leaves
5 scallions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon lime juice
More salt and pepper, as desired
In a 12-inch, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the corn to the pan and fry, stirring frequently, until the kernels begin to brown and pop; this should take 3 to 5 minutes. Set the corn aside, in a bowl, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Add one tablespoon of oil, the chopped onion, and about ½ teaspoon of salt to the frying pan and cook at medium-high heat until the onions are softened. Add the minced garlic, chipotle, cumin, and oregano and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the beans, broth, and rice to the pan and mix. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally until the rice is tender. This will take 15 minutes or so. If the rice is dry, add a little bit more broth or water.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the tomato mixture. Combine the tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, lime juice. and the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan of rice and beans from the heat and spread the corn mixture on top of them. Cover and let rest for five minutes.
Fluff the rice with a fork, check the seasoning, sprinkle the tomato-and-cilantro mixture on top of the rice and beans, and serve.