Friday, July 23, 2010

Coconut Black Beans & Rice and Summer Corn Salad

Happy Friday to all of you! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? A band called Seven Oh Sixx is performing here at Fort Benning, free of charge, so we're going to go enjoy the show tomorrow night. We're also hosting a sleepover -- a sort of last hurrah before school begins.

My blogger friend Heather at Out of the Box Into the Kitchen made some coconut black beans and rice, but advised that it was bland. So, I decided I'd try it differently and see if I'd like it. The idea of adding coconut both intrigued me and made me nervous at the same time.

WOW! Everyone gobbled it up, even Picky Eater! It was so delicious I'll never make black beans & rice differently again. I know it sounds odd, but give it a try. We had summer Corn Salad on the side. It was fresh and delightful. A good accompaniment to the main dish.

Coconut Black Beans & Rice

What You Need:

for the beans:
  • 1 lb black beans, cooked, and drained (or 2 cans, rinsed and drained)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
  • 1/2 an onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 green onions (greens and whites), sliced
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper
for the rice:
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (sticky rice is great here)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup coconut milk (full-fat, also called coconut cream)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper and a few more shakes of sea salt
How it's Done:
  1. Bring the coconut milk, water, and 1 tsp sea salt to a boil. Add the rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes (for white rice). When finished, remove from heat and stir in green onions and pepper & additional salt (as needed). Rice will be creamy and will absorb the remaining liquid as it sits a few minutes.
  2. While the rice is simmering, prepare the beans: In a skillet, heat oil or butter. Saute onion and pepper several minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper, beans, and coconut, Cook and stir until heated. Stir in green onions.
  3. Serve beans over rice.
Simple Summer Corn Salad

What You Need:
  • 15 oz can white corn kernels (drained of liquid)
  • a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 small green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 banana pepper, sliced into rings
  • 1/4 onion, diced
  • a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
  • the juice of one lemon
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • salt & pepper
How it's Done:
  1. Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl.
  2. Cover and chill several hours before serving.
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17 comments:

Yenta Mary said...

That is an absolutely PERFECT summer meal! Light, colorful, nutritious ... :)

Songberries said...

Thanks for following me, I'm following you now!
Hmm, I love black beans, clever idea mixing it with coconut! I'm going to have to try it.
Songberries

Michelle F. said...

Hi! I am a new follower from New Friend Friday! I am so looking forward to trying some of your recipes!!

ftmommyferg.blogspot.com

Michelle said...

Mary, I think so too. It was also filling without giving that heavy-tummy feeling. If you try it, let me know how you feel about it!

Songberries & Michelle, thank you both for stopping by! :)

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

I saw Heather post this and wanted to make it too! Sure does sound delightful, light & refreshing and different from the usual beans & rice. Love that!!!

StephenC said...

This looks wonderful. I too might be a little skittish about coconut, don't know exactly why.

Amy said...

The corn salad looks delicious! I am unfortunately allergic to coconut but the rice looks/sounds delicious as well!

Out of the Box into the Kitchen said...

was your coconut milk/cream thick? mine was more milk like than cream like...maybe ill try the cream next time! glad you enjoyed it!

Michelle said...

Yes, coconut cream/full-fat milk is very thick. It comes out of the can separated into solids and liquids most of the time. It made for very creamy rice. I loved it and am going to pass on tonight's steaks just to have leftovers!

Melodie said...

Mm mm mm! This is right up my alley and my kids never turn down black beans or rice so I think this is a winner already. I'm so glad you participated in Vegetarian Foodie Fridays today. I hope to see you again!

Samara Link said...

I'll be putting these on my to-make list. Thank you ... again!

Out of the Box into the Kitchen said...

perhaps that was the problem! I bet that has MORE coconut flavor. I will be getting coconut cream next time! This only said coconut milk...and now i think it was more like coconut water! lol although one can was seperated and was a little thicker. did you use the thai kitchen brand, maybe? although this did have 14 g of fat in it, but it was a cheap brand!

Michelle said...

Samara, my pleasure. :)

Heather, it wasn't that coconutty, really. Had I left out the flaked coconut, you wouldn't have guessed it had coconut milk in it. The coconut milk does other things for the dish, though, adding marvelous texture and creamy flavor. The coconut seemed to have taken on the flavors I cooked it with: garlic, onion, and olvie oil. I used Thai kitchen brand this time, though I've used other brands too. When it stands alone, it tastes coconutty (as in ice cream) but it seems to adapt to its surrounding flavors. I would definitely encourage you to try it again because this way, it was full of flavor and absolutely the best thing I've had all week. :O)

Anonymous said...

Hello, I saw ya on Somethin Friday, fogot which one. I am a newbi, so I'll learn the lingo! OH MY.....it all looks so good, What time is dinner! Wink!

Anonymous said...

I love black beans and rice but adding coconut is something completely foreign to me. But what could it hurt to try - I might just find out I like it too. I'll keep you posted on my results...so stay tuned. Enjoy the concert!

Haupi

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your visit to my blog today. I'm your newest follower. :)

Kim said...

I make a similar corn salad in the summer with fresh, raw corn cut from the cob. Mine has basil instead of cilantro and red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice. I can't wait to try your version. It sounds so yummy! Next time you have a fresh ear of corn, cut off a few kernals and try them raw. They're sooooo sweet!

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