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Rice n' Beans Gets Fancy

One core A-Grade meal and three different sauces to play with! Basically a 3-for-1 folks. Step right up.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Indian, Thai
Calories: 460
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Core Meal
  • 2 cups White Basmati Rice (4 cups cooked)
  • 1.5 cans Organic Black Beans
  • ½ pound Large Carrots
  • 12 oz Organic Kale fresh, whole
  • 1 tsp Organic Turmeric
  • 2 tsp 21 Seasoning Salute
  • 2 tsp Black Peppercorn fresh ground
  • 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sauce 1 - Spiced Pumpkin & Sunflower (thick and creamy)
  • 1 cup Sunflower Seeds roasted, lightly salted
  • 1 cup Organic Canned Pumpkin or scratch
  • 1.5 tsp Ground Ginger
  • ½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • 4 tbsp Coconut Milk
  • 2 tsp Black Peppercorn fresh ground
Sauce 2 - Trader Joe's Sweet Chili Sauce
  • 8 tbsp Trader Joe's Sweet Chili Sauce 1 tbsp per serving
Sauce 3 - Spiced Creamy Basil & Coconut
  • ½ oz Fresh Basil minced or pureed
  • ⅓ cup Cilantro fresh
  • ¾ cup Coconut Milk canned
  • 2 tsp Chopped Garlic fresh
  • 1.5 tsp Organic Hot Thai Curry Seasoning
  • 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Equipment

  • rice cooker (or pot of water), skillet, steamer (or microwavable bowl), Corning ware or large bowl, spoon, tongues, knife, stove, food processor or blender

Method
 

  1. Cook the rice per package instructions. I recommend using a rice cooker.
While the rice is cooking:
  1. Cut the carrots length-wise in half and then slice into 1/4" or smaller pieces. Feel free to quarter the carrots before chopping.
    Add the carrots to a steamer or pot with a steamer insert and 1" of water. Cook about 3-5 minutes until done to your liking.
  2. Wash the kale. I recommend reducing waste and increasing nutrients by keeping the stems. How?
    Roll each kale leaf around the stem, hold it snug against your cutting board, then proceed with thin slices down the stem. This reduces "kale stem flavor" but keeps a nice crunch.
  3. Cook the chopped kale on medium heat in a skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss frequently.
  4. Beans: either make from scratch (pressure cook to remove most lectins) or purchase organic canned bean and rinse thoroughly before using. I use a sieve to rinse these.
    Open the beans, rinse them thoroughly and add to Corning ware or microwave safe dish. Place in microwave on medium power for about 5 minutes, stir once.
  5. Once the rice is finished cooking, add it to the beans and toss these with the remaining olive oil and spices.
  6. Add your kale and cooked carrots, and toss everything together to coat. Add more spices to taste. *avoid adding salt.
Sauce 1
  1. In a small food processor or sturdy blender, puree: the sunflower seeds and pumpkin. After a consistent puree is formed, add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Sauce 2
  1. Open the sweet chili sauce bottle and pass it around. Serving size is 1 tablespoon.
Sauce 3
  1. In a small food processor or sturdy blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until a consistent puree (or near puree) is formed. If you like chunks in your sauce, then stop early.

Notes

WHOLE RECIPE: Plain version (see "Savvy Alternates" Table for sauce calculations)
Total Calories - 2,901 .  Total Cost - $5.10  .  Grade - A+ .  *Monthly Cost - $211
Programming Notes:
  • Serve with raw carrots or shred them and toss with apple cider vinegar and olive oil as a side salad!
  • NUTRITION FACTS LABEL: Calculates nutrition for Plain PLUS Sauce 1 (Spiced Pumpkin & Sunflower)*
*This refers to the monthly grocery bill if TWO PEOPLE ate cumulatively 4,000 Calories per day, and only ate this meal all month long. If you're running calculations for ONE person - divide the monthly cost in half.