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!

Simplified Haitian Rice 'n Beans

Growing up with a parent who had spent a good part of her early adult life in Haiti I of course grew up eating pumpkin soup around New Year's Day and Haitian-style rice and beans. Both are fantastic meals, but rice and beans in particular I've rarely made because of how long they take, especially since moving to the PRC and being reduced to using one hot plate. (Overnight - or over-flight rather! - meals requiring more than one burner to make became time-consuming pains in the butt.) So I'm not sure why it took me so long to realize that I could probably make a modified rice and beans in my rice cooker! I finally had a light bulb moment today though, and what follows is how I went about bringing this great meal back into my life!