Black beans and rice meal with fried plantains
With flavorful black beans, cooling guacamole, sweet fried plantains, and hearty brown rice, this delicious meal is my “happy place” of dinners.Finish the bowls with optional toppings like pickled jalapeños, chopped cilantro, hot sauce, lime wedges, and/or tortilla chips.
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 598kcal
Ingredients
Saucy black beans
- ½ teaspoon avocado oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- ½ medium-sized yellow onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 can (15-ounce) black beans drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Guacamole
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 avocado pitted and removed from peel
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped onion
- 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
- ½ teaspoon lime juice + more for garnish
- Pinch of salt
Plantains
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or other neutral-flavored, high heat oil
- 1 plantain cut in ½ inch pieces on a diagonal
Brown rice bowls
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
Instructions
For saucy black beans
- Add oil to a skillet and bring to a medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté several minutes, until fragrant.
- Add black beans, water, cumin, ancho chili powder, paprika, and salt. Bring the liquid to a simmer.
- Once it is simmering, turn the heat to low and continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the beans have thickened. Then remove from heat.
For the guacamole
- In a bowl, use a fork to combine minced garlic, avocado, finely chopped onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt.
For the plantains
- Bring a separate non-stick skillet to a medium high heat with oil. (Put a shallow layer of oil into the skillet. The amount will vary, depending upon the size of your skillet.) Test the oil to see if it is hot enough by putting in one plantain slice. If bubbles immediately form around it, you know it's hot enough.
- Put the plantain slices into the skillet, being careful not to overcrowd. (If necessary, work in batches.) Fry the plantains on one side until they are nice and brown, then flip them. Brown on the other side for a few minutes.
- Lower heat and continue cooking for several minutes more until the plantains have fully softened. (Flip again if the plantains start to burn.)
- Once they are fully browned and softened, move the plantains to a separate plate.
Putting it together
- Add spoonfuls of cooked rice, beans, guacamole, and plantains to two serving bowls. Top with any extras you prefer like lime wedges, pickled jalapeños, chopped cilantro, hot sauce, and/or tortilla chips.
Notes
Depending on how generously you scoop, you may have some beans left over.
Optional air fryer instructions for fried plantains
Put the sliced plantain into the air fryer basket. Toss or spray with oil. Air fry for 9 minutes at 390 degrees, stopping to flip & spray with more oil halfway through.
(Depending on your air fryer, you may need slightly more or less time. Check on the plantain occasionally for optimum browning with your machine.)
Nutrition
Calories: 598kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 1509mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1550IU | Vitamin C: 29.5mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 4.8mg
