Black Bean and Brown Rice Casserole

Monday always seems to roll around far too quickly, but this week I'm happy to see it arrive - it means I'm that much closer to leaving on vacation on Friday! Woohoo! I seriously can't wait for a break from work and real-life responsibilities. Despite the anticipation I have for this week to begin and pass by, Monday still comes with the reality of needing a quick, nourishing meal to whip up for hubby and I after work. This Black Bean and Brown Rice Casserole is just thing! Comes together in under half an hour, its super healthy and oh so flavourful.

Black Bean and Brown Rice Casserole
Minimally adapted from Thrifty Veggie Mama

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (about 1 cup uncooked)
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 can stewed tomatoes with basil (you may want to squish the tomatoes to break them up a bit)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 cup applewood smoked cheddar, shredded
• hot sauce to serve

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients except the cheese and hot sauce and place in an 8x8 inch pan. Top with cheese.
2. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Drizzle with hot sauce to serve if desired. Sour cream would also be delish!

A super simple recipe that comes together so quick on a rushed weeknight. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did... leftovers disappeared quickly in our house!

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Thrifty Veggie Mama's Quinoa & Black Bean Chili for SRC

 Woohoo!! Its time for Secret Recipe Club again (in my opinion, one of the highlights of my month). I get to check out a new blog and sometimes experience a new way of cooking. That was the case this month when I was assigned Thrifty Veggie Mama's blog. She has so much healthy stuff on there... definitely a new style for me. :) Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this month's assignment and had the opportunity to try out a new vegan recipe for my mom who is a newly converted vegan. Perfect timing I guess!

Thrifty Veggie Mama is written by Jamie. Jamie is a busy, mother of three kids (all under the age of five!!) who has been vegetarian for a few years now. I loved the various flavours in her blog and how healthy and wholesome the recipes are. Oh, and I did notice that a lot of the recipes are very easy to put together! What more could you want?

For my selection I made the Quinoa and Black Bean Chili. Oh it was amazing and received rave reviews from my mom!! To be honest, I didn't change much. I added a bit more water because my quinoa seemed to absorb the entire cup and a half of water in the recipe, so I ended up using more like 1 3/4 -2 cups of water. And I also used about 4 tbsp chili powder and 1 1/2 tbsp cumin. Other than that, it was alllll the same. You could mix up the veggies if you want and don't be shy about the jalepeno - it just rounds out the flavour without being ridiculous spicy!

So I'm going to send you on over to Jamie's blog to check out the recipe. Stop by and give her blog some love. I guarantee you'll be bookmarking it for later! I know I'll be back.

Happy Cooking my friends! And thanks for stopping by. I can't wait to hop around and check out what all of my fellow group C-er's made from their assigned blogs. :D