New Foods {Black Beans & Rice}

In an attempt to get Sawyer to gain weight I have tried out a few new dishes.  A few requirements for the dish:

1) Hearty meal that is still kid friendly
2) Healthy w/ plenty of good fats
3) Something that the parents will also enjoy
4) Consist of ingredients that I already have on hand...I am not dragging the kids to the grocery store for 1 item

Another thing you should know Sawyer LOVES beans.  He would eat beans at every meal if I served them.  If he isn't eating well for a few meals I always know I can give him beans and he will eat the entire meal.  So when I ran across this recipe on Pinterest it seemed to fit all my criteria: it had beans so I knew Sawyer would like it, it was healthy, and I had most of the ingredients.

It may not be the prettiest dish, but I am happy to report it was delicious.  I always thought rice and beans sounded sort of bland, but this was a very flavorful dish.  It also got a thumbs up from the husband.

Another great thing is this dish makes a lot of food and we probably got 6 meals out of it.

Because I did not have all the ingredients for the inspiration recipe I changed it up a bit.  Here's my take on rice and beans.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 (16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can rotel
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4-5 cups hot, cooked white or brown rice

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, beans, rotel, chicken broth, oregano and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 45 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or two of hot water to thin to desired consistency.

Stir in the fresh cilantro and season with salt and pepper; discard the bay leaf. Serve over the hot rice.

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe via Pinterest