Cheesy Black Beans 'n Rice

Necessity is the mother of invention...or in this case, some googling of what I had in my pantry and adapting of this lovely recipe to make it work for my family's tastes! One of us has a penchant for meat, and this recipe makes for a nice 'n quick vegetarian meal for busier days. Remove the cheese and it'll be vegan - I wouldn't do that myself if I didn't have to, but to each their own! However you make it, I hope you like it as much as my family has!

Cheesy Black Beans 'n Rice

(2 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium onion (chopped or diced)

4 to 6 cloves of garlic (minced/crushed)

Black pepper (to taste)

Cilantro (to taste)

Oregano (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

Smoked paprika (to taste)

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1/4 cup of water

2 cups of cooked brown rice

1 can (540ml/18oz) of black beans

Lime juice (to taste)

Sriracha (to taste)

1/2  cup of shredded cheddar

Directions

1) Heat the olive oil in a medium-large pan and sauté the onion until translucent.

2) Stir in the garlic and sauté another minute or two, then add the remaining seasonings (I went with more paprika and less of the others) and continue sautéing until fragrant. 

3) Before everything in the pan starts burning incorporate the tomato paste and then the water to deglaze the pan and get a bit of a sauce going.

4) Add the rice, beans, and sriracha and continue sautéing until everything is heated through before sprinkling some lime juice over top. If the beans and rice start drying out too much add a little water here and there to keep everything moist. (Watch out though or you'll end up with a mush!)

5) Sprinkle the cheddar over everything, cover, and remove the pan from the heat to allow the cheese to melt and become gloriously stretchy and oozy.

6) Serve as is or with some sliced avocado, dollops of sour cream, fresh cilantro - really whatever you want - and enjoy!