Sunday, October 16, 2011

Mexican Black Bean and Corn "Casserole"

Man, I am a HUGE liar! Haha! Remember how I said I was going to post all these awesome recipes this last week? Didn't happen, did it? Sorry! I've been battling a pretty nasty cold since Monday morning/Sunday night and haven't had any kind of motivation or energy to cook.
PLUS, when I did cook, it was all just mediocre, or the pictures looked bad, or I was too delirious to differentiate between dreams and reality.
Annnnnyway, on to today's recipe! 

Ok, I know.  The name of this is AWFUL! Help me name it?
I LOVE making this for lunch! It is so quick and easy! You can use all fresh ingredients, or just canned and frozen ingredients, or a good mix of both! I always have most of these things on hand and here's the best part:
My Little One LOVES this meal!

Mexican Black Bean and Corn "Casserole"
 About half a can (or half a cup) of Black Beans
1 Cup of Frozen Corn
2-3 Tbsps Diced Green Chilis
1 small Green Bell Pepper, diced (or half of a nomal sized one. I got this cute little guy at a local farm)
White rice, cooked (yes, I use instant rice all the time. Sue me!)
Cumin
Salt and Pepper
Freshly Shredded Cheese (Your favorite kind. I used white cheddar that my parents brought down from a local store in Idaho! I miss you, Idaho!!!!)
Not Pictured- Because I'm still a little bit delusional from this cold
Cilantro
Crushed Red Pepper
Half a Lime
 Start cooking your rice. If using real rice, start making it and then after 10 minutes or so, start with the rest of the food. Luckily, Instant Rice only takes like, 5 minutes. :)
Heat a big ole' skillet on medium heat. Add your Black Beans.
 Then, add your frozen corn.  (Wow, the light is WAY different in these two pictures!)
 Third, dump in the Diced Green Chilis
Last, Diced Bell Peppers!  (Don't you love the tiny blurry snippets of my hands in every picture?)
Stir it all up and then add your seasonings. I like to just add a good layer of cumin all over the top, and then a light layer of sea salt and a light layer of pepper. Add Crushed Red Pepper according to your own taste. I only used a pinch. Heat it all up for about 4-5 minutes until it's all heated through and melding together in spicy deliciousness.
Now it's time for the cilantro! Well, and the lime. But I actually didn't realize that I didn't have any limes left. Boo!
Just pull off a hand full of cilantro leaves and rip them up with your fingers and dump them in. Then, using your smart, non-sick person brain, squeeze half a lime over everything. Mix it all up and let it continue to cook for an additional 3 or 4 minutes.
Serve over rice and then top with plenty of cheese! Freshly grated is best, because it melts much better!
Don't forget to serve some up for your own Little One!


Extra Notes: I love this dish because it is SO versatile! You can use brown rice instead or even better, Mexican rice! You can add chopped onions, minced garlic, red bell peppers (which would make this SO pretty!) or even up the spice factor by adding in a fresh chopped jalapeno.  Black beans aren't your thing? Use pinto! or whatever you like! I've even made this with a can of refried beans. Seriously. And if your kids aren't fond of anything even remotely spicy, go ahead and omit the Crushed Red Pepper or even the Diced Green Chilis (although, they really aren't very spicy at all.) The good thing is, the cheese helps cut down on the spice and adds an extra yummy factor for everyone. Enjoy!

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