I really, really love rice and beans. Really. Sometimes I think I should have been born in Brazil because I'm just crazy about it. When I was in college, one of my roommates introduced me to her family's favorite recipe for rice and beans and I was immediately hooked. It called for rice, beans (duh), lime juice, salt and pepper, avocado, and green onions. It was simple, tasty, and really easy on my college budget. I may even admit to eating it EVERY DAY for a week or so. (Poor college student, remember?)
I still LOVE to make up this black beans and rice recipe, but nowadays I have to scale back a bit on the rice consumption. This particular recipe was born when I came home after a particularly long day to a particularly empty fridge. All I could think to make was rice and beans, then it dawned on my that cauliflower rice would be a much better alternative. After Claire posted her excellent tutorial on making cauliflower rice, I started making up a really simple cauliflower rice and greens dish and I knew it would complement the dish well. Fortunately I had a package of cauliflower rice squirreled away in the freezer and a few handfuls of leftover greens. Thank heavens for hoarding tendencies.
The recipe is really simple and perfect if you are cooking single servings. I live alone and it can be really tricky to find recipes that don't leave you sitting with gallons of leftover chili (or whatever). I don't know about you, but there are only so many days I can gag down leftovers before throwing in the towel and ordering pizza.
Black Bean Bowl
To make a black bean bowl, I use one serving of cauliflower rice n' greens (recipe below) plus about 2/3 - 3/4 cup warmed black beans, avocado slices, and topped with lime juice (not optional!), cilantro, and green onions (or whatever else your heart desires). Sometimes I also like to add raw pumpkin seeds (called pepitas) and tomatoes.
Done! One of my favorite "single lady" meals.
Cauliflower Rice n' Greens
First, prepare the ingredients. You can either purchase riced cauliflower or make your own (Trader Joe's sells it in both the frozen and fresh sections). You'll need two cups riced cauliflower. If you are using frozen riced cauliflower, defrost it first in the microwave or in a dry skillet. Chop 2 ounces of greens, 1 1/2 -2 cups chopped. I used beet greens (from the tops of beet bunches - yes, you can eat them!), but kale, chard, collards, spinach - any kind will do. Finely mince 1 medium clove garlic.
Preheat 1 tablespoon oil (olive oil, grapeseed, etc.) in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional) and cook for about 10 seconds. Add the greens and stir to coat in the oil then immediately add the riced cauliflower and stir to combine. Add your seasoning of choice plus 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few pinches of black pepper.
Let it cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, for around 3-5 minutes, or until the cauliflower rice is cooked through and greens are starting to wilt. If the rice starts to stick to the pan excessively during cooking, add a bit more oil or a splash or two of water.
Almost done - about 1 minute later I added the soy sauce.
Just before removing it from heat, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce (or Bragg's Liquid Aminos) a splash or two at a time, stirring in immediately. This will both add flavor and help pick up some of the browned bits you might have on the bottom of your pan. If you need to deglaze the pan a bit more, add a splash or two of water to help clean up some of the browned bits. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.
A bit about the seasoning options. I typically use a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, plus whatever would complement the other flavors I'm serving with the dish. I really like Penzey's "Mural of Flavor" seasoning blend, so I used that for this particular batch. I also like thyme, oregano, or just plain salt and pepper.
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