My mom introduced me to this recipe from Southern Living (then promptly forgot it existed; I love her anyway), and I’ve been meaning to get it on my blog for awhile now! This is a very light but filling “rice & beans” bowl with just enough flavor to make it tasty without any seasonings or sauces. I have never eaten this with the vinaigrette because I think it’s best plain! I do like it with some diced jalapenos for a little heat, but it’s got enough flavor without adding the jalapeno or poblano peppers if you don’t like the heat they give.

Ingredients:

Servings: about 3-4ish full bowls as an entree

Note: You can cut up as much or as little of the vegetables as you like. I put measurements on here for the sake of having a guideline, but you can liberally prep however many beans and veggies you want with this. It’s great as leftovers!

• 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-oz. can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup bell pepper
• 1 avocado, diced
• ¼ cup finely chopped poblano pepper (leave out if you don’t want any heat)
• 1 cup chopped tomato, or halved grape tomatoes
• ¾ thinly sliced celery
• ¼-½ cup thinly sliced green onion
• ¾ cup loosely packed chopped cilantro
• 2 cups cooked brown rice (use appropriate rice to make it gluten-free)
• Optional: corn tortilla chips, diced jalapeno
• Optional vinaigrette: mix ¼ cup lime juice, 2 tbs. chopped cilantro, 1 tbs. hot sauce, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ tsp. chili powder, ½ tsp. ground cumin, and a shake of sea salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

Put the black beans and black-eyed peas in a microwave-safe bowl and warm them in 30-second increments in the microwave; you don’t want the beans to be hot, just warmed up.

You can prepare the veggies on a serving platter so people can make their own veggie mixes, or dump them all in a large bowl and mix it all together (including the rice or not, your choice).

I like to layer my bowl with rice on the bottom, then a scoop of the beans, and a large helping of the veggies on top. If you’re making the vinaigrette, pour a moderate amount over the top of the veggies.