Mexican rice and beans

We finally have found a good rice and beans recipe. I am so glad because I was getting worried that it would never happen.

It's not like we eat rice and beans everyday but they are cheap here so it's a good to thing to know how to use. I like how this recipe makes everything moist and beans don't taste just blahh...

I am glad to have that living in Chile has forced me to finally figure out how to cook dry beans properly. Here I don't have the option of opening a can of beans. I had to learn how to do it from scratch. I also have learned how to use dry milk in all of my recipes, but that's another story.

What to do with the dry beans...

Rinse the beans with water and make sure they are clean. Add the black beans to a pot and cover with water three times the height of the beans. They soak up a lot of water so it may be necessary to add more water as they cook. Let boil for as long as they need to become soft. This may take at least one hour or more so plan ahead. I like to make a bunch more than the recipe calls for and then use it in different recipes in the next few days so that I have it already prepared. It may sound complicated to use them but it's really not! Just try it out!

Mexican rice and beans

• 1-1/2 cup cooked black beans or 1 15 oz can black beans


• 1 cup of rice


• 2-1/4 cups water, divided


• 1 tomato diced


• 1 cup tomato sauce


• 1-2 tsp olive oil


• 5-6 cloves garlic, chopped


• 1 jalepeno, optional


• 2 tsp ground cumin


• 1 tsp chili powder (have not yet found this in Chile so it's not crucial apparently)


• 1/2 tsp oregano


• salt and pepper, to taste


• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped finely

Once the beans are about soft, bring 2 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Add the rice, cover with lid and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for another 5 minutes. While the rice is cooking, dice the tomatoes and slice the other ingredients if you haven't already. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and jalepeno to the skillet and saute for one minute, stirring constantly.

The beans should now be fully cooked. It is important that black beans are well-rinsed after cooking or they make everything else turn black. Drain the beans and rinse them several times or until they no longer leave a black stain in the water (or as little as possible). Add the cooked black beans, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato juice, 1/4 cup water, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans absorb much of the liquid, 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cilantro and cooked rice then cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is warm, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy.