Black Beans and Rice... with a Twist!

First, I want to apologize to my three loyal followers for not posting in nearly four months. It's been a hectic couple of months with school, work and life in general.

Anyway, I am going to keep this one simple. My grandfather on my mother's side, who I called Ole Man after a Hemingway novel he used to love, used to make this dish. I'm not sure he ever made it for me, but my mother used to make it as well and I really enjoyed it as a kid. It's pretty much a new take on black beans and yellow rice.

I use the packaged Vigo brand of yellow rice. I think it has the best flavor and consistency, although it does have MSG in it, which my mother says makes her temples flutter. I've never experienced this personally and, honestly, I'm not even really sure what it means, but I'm not saying it doesn't happen.

Next, you take a can of black beans and cook them on the stove for a little while until the beans soften. I usually add some bacon grease for flavor and a chopped jalapeno (minus the seeds) when I'm feeling adventurous. If your beans get too thick on the stove, add some chicken broth to loosen them up.

The last part of this dish is the salsa, which is my favorite part. I usually mix equal parts chopped tomato and cucumber... say a cup each. Then I add about 1/3 of a part (in this case it would be 1/3 cup) of finely chopped red onion. Finally, I chop a few sprigs of parsley (personally, I like Italian parsley vs. curly parsley, but either will work).

I mix these ingredients in a bowl with a teaspoon or so of EVOO or extra virgin olive oil and season with salt. If possible, I like to refrigerate the salsa for a half hour or so just to create some contrast between the cold salsa and hot black beans and rice.

To finish off the dish, scoop some yellow rice onto a plate, spoon some black beans over the top and finally add the salsa to the top. It should look like the photo. Best of all it's an economical and healthy dish. Enjoy!