Black Bean Rice Bowl

I copied this out of a magazine while I was getting my hair done - tweaked it a bit to make it my own and the end result was delicious.

You will need:

• 1 c. rice
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. coriander
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1/2 c. red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 c. frozen corn
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 avocado
• 1 plum tomato, chopped
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
• Vegetable oil

Cook rice in vegetable broth and set aside.  Heat vegetable oil and stir in onion, garlic and chili flakes.  Add beans and corn and 1 cup of water.   Boil until almost no liquid remains. 

Mix avocado, tomato and lime juice. 

Top rice with bean mixture and serve with avocado/tomato mixture. 

Lentil Chili Pie with Corn Bread Crust

This was an experiment, but it turned out quite nicely.

Stew:

You will need:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 can lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 2 peppers, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
•  1 jalapeno, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Corn Bread Topping:

• 1 cup corn flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil

Blend dry ingredients into a bowl.  Stir in wet ingredients just until everything is combined.  Spoon topping over stew and bake at 400F for 30 minutes. 
Cook onion, garlic, jalapeno and chili flakes in vegetable oil. Add spices until they become fragrant.  Stir in lentils, and tomatoes.  Simmer for 40 minutes.  Add peppers and celery and simmer for another 15 minutes.   Add salt and pepper to taste.  Put stew in a casserole dish.