Hoppin’ Rice and Beans

This weekend involved a couple awesome things.  We were back in San Luis Obispo, hanging out with Mike’s family and this ADORABLE dog, Roo:

I used to say I hated small dogs but she is so cute and sweet that I might actually consider a small dog (if it could be a clone of her).

We also had a repeat of our wedding food, catered by the same family that fed our 100 guests 3.5 years ago:

Some people in our family thought we were nuts for having Middle Eastern food at our wedding, but then a lot of them said it was the best wedding food they’d ever had. I’m totally biased, but I agree with them.

YUM.

AND to top it all off, I’m on Spring Break for the whole week! Plenty of time for running and cooking healthy food. Although I don’t need quick and easy meals this week, I do appreciate them when Mike and I are both working full time, and this recipe is perfect (if you have a rice cooker and slow cooker you can let the beans and rice cook while you’re out and just assemble them for dinner).

This is adapted from a recipe for Hoppin’ John, but I used pintos instead of black eyed peas, and cut the prep time WAY down. The flavor is awesome, and the leftovers are great for lunches.

Recipe:
(adapted from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry)

2 cups cooked pinto beans, drained (canned works too)
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
choppped cilantro for garnish

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spices, salt and tomatoes and mix well. Add the rice and beans and cook until heated through. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve, garnished with a little chopped cilantro.