Vegan Rice & Peas

Inspired by From My Bowl

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 white onion, finely diced
• 1/4 red or green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 440 g cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons Goya’s Adobo seasoning salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 thick green onion, stalk only
• 3 cups boiling water
• 2 cups long grain brown rice, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp scallion for toppings

DIRECTIONS

• Heat a large pot over medium heat and add in the oil. Wait for 1 minute and add the onion, bell peppers, and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes, until the peppers start to soften and the onion becomes translucent.
• Add the beans to the pot and stir well to combine. Then, add in the adobo seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, oregano, scallion and brown sugar. Stir well to make sure everything is evenly incorporated, let it cook for 3 minutes. Let the bean and veggie mixture cook down for 3 minutes.
• Add the coconut milk to the pot and stir well. Raise the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Split the stalk of green onion lengthwise and crush it with your hands to release some of the juices and oils, then add it in the pot and let it simmer for 5 minutes. This is to infuse the coconut milk with spices.
• For the brown rice: Add the boiling water to the pot and mix well; taste the broth and add any additional seasonings to taste. Bring the broth to a brisk boil, then add in the rinsed rice. Stir to evenly combine, then cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer. To prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot, stir the mixture every 5 minutes. Let it boil until almost all of the liquid is absorbed into the rice; this should take anywhere from 20-30 minutes.
• For Final Steam: Once there is very little liquid left, taste the rice to make sure it is par-cooked . Completely cover the pot with a piece of foil, then place the lid on top – this forms a tight seal. Turn the burner all the way down to simmer and cook for an additional 15 minutes, to fully steam the rice.
• Turn off the burner and let this stand for 5 minutes before uncovering, add scallion on top and serve.