So I hadn’t actually planned on making two recipes today, but I knew for dinner it was gonna be rice and beans. I thought, “Surely Robin has a solution to this!” I flipped through the book until I found a recipe that I had all the ingredients for and when I threw in some beans it wouldn’t ruin the party.
Fuel for a Kenyan runner
This recipe saved the day! I made it with red rice and added a can of tri-colored beans: black, red kidney and pinto. What’s fun about this recipe is the coconut milk. It’s an African staple that helps the rice get super puffy and have a deeper flavor. It also helps to break down the tomatoes into a more creamy sauce.
Without over-flavoring the dish with too many spices, the natural tastes of the carrots and onions shine through. The ginger is amazing; don’t skip it! This dish was really fun and easy to make since everything cooks in one pot.
African Jollof Rice
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 cup chopped onions
4 large Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 large bay leaf
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup long-grain rice, brown or red
4 oz sliced button mushrooms
1 large jalapeno, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1. In a heavy-bottomed, 2 qt sauce pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, carrot, ginger and bay leaf, and stir until bubbling. Add the milk and bring to a boil, then add the rice, mushrooms, jalapeno and salt. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover tightly.
2. Simmer the rice for 40 minutes, then check to see if all the liquid is absorbed. Take the pan off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes, covered, to finish steaming. Serve hot.
The recipe serves four and there were leftovers. I guess the runners weren’t too hungry tonight.
Big Vegan Affair 