Black Beans and Rice with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Bel Air Town Run 5k
Well, I finally got back out on the roads yesterday for a short run, my first since the half marathon last weekend. After said run, it’s evident that everything is in good working order, so I’ve given myself the green light for the Bel Air Town Run 5k this Sunday.
I’ve never been a very fast short-distance runner– to my knowledge I’ve never run a 5k in under 20 minutes. I have no idea what the course will be like, but now that I’m veggie-powered I think I have a decent shot at sub-20 if it’s relatively flat. Erin’s also running; so is NMA-reader extraordinaire Pete, so no doubt we’ll all be getting blitzkrieged together afterward. Kidding; it will be eight o’clock in the morning!
“Spicy” Black Bean Recipe
I was in no mood for a complicated dinner two nights ago, and thankfully I had recently read about a recipe on relishments that Emily (the author) said was really fast and tasty, despite looking like a “bowl of mush.” Bean dishes always appeal to me as meals substantial enough to keep up with the demands of marathon training, and the fact that this one includes sun-dried tomatoes piqued my interest enough to give it a try. Sun-dried tomatoes, to me, are vegetarian bacon. Good in or on everything.
The recipe can be found on myrecipes.com (originally from Real Simple), but one caveat: it’s called “Spicy Black Beans,” but mine wasn’t spicy at all. The recipe calls for a seeded jalapeno, but if you want it to be spicy then don’t seed it, or at least leave the white ribs on the inside. Better yet– the meal is just a little dry, so when you add everything to the pan to saute for 10 minutes, add either some chipotle salsa or chipotle-adobo puree. I happened to have a little extra chipotle-adobo lying around (ah, the fridge of a food nerd), so I drizzled this on at the table and it made the meal 100 percent better for me. The smokiness of the chipotle was the perfect complement to the other flavors in this meal.
With that addition and some brown rice, this became a delicious, healthy, and fast meal. And cheap, too, except for the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. But don’t skimp on those, they’re crucial! You wouldn’t make bacon and eggs without bacon, would you? Ok, maybe you would if you weren’t big on heart attacks. Bad example.
I suppose it’s a little ironic that following my Acquired Tastes post, I drank some India Pale Ale that I had lying around. More accurately, that I bought right afterward– all that beer-writing and this great weather got me in the mood! Then I got the idea to use to make a spring-veggie risotto, and it turned out really well! But you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow for that one.
Until then, my bloggies…
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That looks delicious! I’m definitely going to try it!
Filling and colorful! That’s a great pair in a dish.
Already love this site. I went Vegan, cold turkey two days ago and I love it. It really is not that hard. I feel light, free, not bogged down by meat and cheese and yuck. You should go to my blog, BTW, I love making drinks with Spinach
That’s my kind of meal! Served with the rice, it’s perfectly balanced. I too could eat sun-dried tomatoes with practically everything 🙂
Lisa’s last blog post..Vanilla Oat Pancakes
It looks like a very flavorful meal with the beautiful medley of colors. That’s one thing that I’ve learned after marrying a vegetarian (and it’s been almost 5 years!). Vegetarianism doesn’t mean blend. It’s healthy, tasty and it’s a complete balanced (protein-wise) meal when you combine a dry bean with a starch. Well done!