Meet Natalie! + Black Beans and Coconut Lime Rice

Welcome Natalie from The Sweets Life! Natalie is a talented blogger from St. Louis who not only writes on her own site, but also has a column in an online magazine called Honest Cooking. She also did a cooking demo during the FoodBuzz Blogger Festival in San Francisco last year. How cool is that? (So cool that I was too intimidated to introduce myself to her at the festival. You probably didn’t know that, right, Natalie? *kicking self again*)  I’m excited to have Natalie here on Perry’s Plate today sharing such an awesome recipe with you guys. Give her a warm welcome!

I’m so humbled and honored that Natalie invited me to guest post while she’s away on vacation. Perry’s Plate is one of my favorite food blogs, and not just because the blog author has a good name! :) I’ve had great success with all of Natalie’s recipes that I’ve tried and her Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas remain one of my favorite dishes to come from my kitchen!

Around the time that Natalie invited me to guest post, I made and posted a dish that I decided was too good not to share with all of her readers: black beans and coconut lime rice. Though I originally made it as a side dish to eat alongside fajitas, everyone who ate it agreed it would be excellent as a main dish. It could be eaten as is, but would also be fabulous with some grilled chicken mixed in.

This rice dish has a dynamite flavor. Unlike many Mexican rice dishes that are spicy, this has a sweeter flavor thanks to toasted coconut and a mango topping.

Because this makes such a huge amount of rice, it’s ideal for a party…or those who love leftovers! My husband and I were happy to eat this for a few days, both plain and cold or scooped up with chips or in a tortilla.

I think you’ll find this dish incredibly versatile, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Thanks again Natalie for the chance to post and thank you readers for letting me share…please visit me at The Sweets Life for more recipes!

Black Beans and Coconut Lime Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp butter, divided
1 1/4 cups uncooked basmati rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 poblano pepper, diced
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 lime
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 mango, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Place coconut in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes, until toasted.

In a 2-quart saucepan, bring broth, salt, pepper, 2 tbsp butter, and 1 cup water to a boil. Add rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook 15-20 minutes, until water is absorbed and rice is tender.

While rice is cooking, melt remaining 1 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and poblano pepper, sauteing for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in black beans, chili powder, cumin, and 3/4 cup water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Grate zest from lime and add to a bowl. Squeeze lime juice into bowl. Fluff rice with a fork and add to lime zest and juice. Stir in coconut, green onions, and cilantro. Top with bean mixture and chopped mango.

Makes 6-8 side-dish servings.

from Southern Living May 2010 via Natalie from The Sweets Life

Gluten-Free, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

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