Chicken and Black Bean Casserole

This has become a go to dinner for our family, meaning that I pretty much always have the stuff to make it and I make it often.  It is healthy with brown rice and a meatless option. This has been a new favorite to take to friends who just had a baby, or are in need of a meal.

 It has a bit of heat to it with some south of the border flavors.  we like to eat it with Cornbread. they taste good together, and I can use the cornbread to bribe picky eaters to eat  more rice and veggies.

On days when I know we are eating this for dinner I will cook the rice in the morning.  Brown rice takes awhile to cook, so be aware of that.  If i have time, I will cut up all the veggies earlier in the day also to make dinner prep easier later on. 

I found this scrumptous dish on Pinterest.  HERE is the original.  I have changed a couple ingredients and changed all the measurements.  The original was not enough to fill a full 9x13 pan.  

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
•  2 1/4 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth also will work)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2/3 cup diced onion
• 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 3 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 1 cup sliced or chopped mushrooms 
• 1 tsp. teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained (I always use a fresh minced Jalapeno pepper.)
• 1-2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese-depending on how much cheese you like (Swiss cheese and Monterey Jack cheese would also work well!)

How To

1. Mix the rice and vegetable broth in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large 9x13" casserole dish.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, chicken, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is heated through.
4. In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, beans, chiles, and 1/2 the cheese. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5. Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned. 

This would also make a great vegetarian dish- just omit the chicken!

Quick and Easy Black Beans

 This is our favorite side dish!  I make it all the time.  Thanks to a good friend who shared this recipe with me.  She found it on Our Best Bites (linked on my side bar.)  I serve them with my own version of spicy rice.  Together they are great on the side of any Mexican kind of meal.

 2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 T olive oil
2/3 C diced onion
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
2/3 C chicken broth (or water, I use broth for extra flavor)
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 lime

In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula so smoosh (yes, that’s a technical culinary term) some of the beans. You don’t want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. I like mine on the thicker side so I smoosh quite a bit. They will thicken more upon standing.

If you want a more soupy consistency, just add a little more broth.

Serve as a side dish, or on top or rice, in fajitas or tacos, or on top of chicken or steak.