Mexican Black Beans and Rice
5 WW points

I was going to make Cajun Red Beans and Rice, but I only had one can of Kidney Beans and I had no cans of tomatoes left. Since I had black beans and some of my homemade salsa, I decided to make a Mexican Black Beans and Rice dish instead. Hands on time for this meal was only about 10 or 15 minutes. Of course, the rice takes a while to cook. But I think this is one of the fastest (hand-on wise) things I have made and it was REALLY good!

Rice Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
• 2 Tbs Chili Powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 Tbs finely chopped cilantro
• 2 1/2 cups water

Directions

• Up until a few days ago, I didn't know you could cook rice in the microwave! It turns out just as good and there's no chance of burning it, which I normally do when I cook rice on the stove.
• In 2 quart microwave safe dish, mix rice, chili powder, cumin and cilantro
• Add water and cover the dish
  
• Follow cooking instructions on rice package - I used Mahatma brown rice and their microwave instructions were to cook on high power for 5 minutes, then reduce power to 50% and cook for 40 minutes. (Note: White rice takes about half the amount of time to cook, but its not a whole grain). The instructions said to let the rice sit for 5 minutes after cooking, but we didn't and it was just fine.

Black Beans Ingredients

• 1/4 onion, minced
• 2 - 4 garlic cloves, minced (or 1/2 to 1 tsp of garlic powder)
  
• 2 15oz cans of black beans
• 2 tbs cilantro, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 cup salsa (canned tomatoes would work, too)
• 2 Tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp oregano
  
• dash of cayenne pepper (if you want it spicy)

Directions

• Spray sauce pan with Pam and heat
• Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes
• Add cans of black beans and stir
• Add cilantro, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and salsa and stir.
• Heat through

Scoop 1/2 cup of rice and 1/2 cup beans into a bowl for 4 points worth of deliciousness. I added about 1/4 cup of shredded mexican cheese, which added about 1 point. Jeff didn't add cheese, but crumbled crackers on top of his for probably 1 or 2 points.

Other things to top this off with would be salsa, fat free sour cream or plain yogurt, or some fresh cilantro.