Recipe: 15 Minute Black Bean Soup with Coconut Rice

I was lucky enough to get to walk in from work and have this waiting for me on the stove!  Being from Louisiana, one of our staple, "go-to meals" is red beans and rice.  A friend of mine (Yes-alot of my friends share their recipes with me...hi Nikki!) suggested trying a coconut rice topped with black beans.  It sounded great, so we tried it today.  

The recipe for the soup was found from the PETA website (this has been a great resource for foods and recipes!) and the rice part was given to me by Nikki.  Together, the taste was great!  We will be making this often!

Ingredients:

Black Bean Soup

1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup minced white onion
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. cumin
Red pepper flakes, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste4 cups vegetable stock
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained 

   (or-you can save money and sodium by cooking your own black beans from a bag like    we did!  Instead of adding the veggie broth, we just cooked 2 cups of black beans in 4 cups water, and added 2 cubes of "Not Chick'n Broth" in with it.  It takes a little time, but it is way better for you!  If you are short on time, go the 15 minute route and just use canned beans!  It is still better for you than meat or take out)

Add sauteed onion/garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt/pepper to beans as they finish cooking.  Simmer an extra 15 minutes.  You can mash beans or use an immersion blender at this point.  (We use a Pampered Chef Mix and Chop!)

Coconut Rice:

Place 1 cup of white or jasmine rice to a 2 quart pot.  Add one can of coconut milk, and 1/2 cup water.  Bring to simmer and cook until the rice is tender (It took about 20 minutes)

Spoon your beans over the coconut rice, and top with your choice of avocado or cilantro!  Enjoy!