This is a quick, hearty dinner that is great for a last minute meal when you have staple ingredients around such as rice, beans, and avocado. It has a perfect blend of flavors like spicy chipotle adobo peppers, red onion, cilantro, and lime. It’s a great blend of carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and healthy fats to keep you satiated. I love this meal as is, or I enjoy it with a fresh salad also dressed with cilantro and lime.

Cilantro is a great addition due to it’s antioxidant properties and considerable Vitamin K content.  It’s great taste pairs deliciously well with rice and beans!  Cilantro and lime is probably one of my FAVORITE food combos, and adding lime gives the body a dose of Vitamin C (about 1/3 of your daily needs from 1 lime). This gives the body an immune boost along with some major skin love.

CILANTRO + LIME, A WINNING COMBO

Feel free to swap the brown rice for quinoa, which will boost the protein content of the meal, or adding in some good quality chicken or fish. I also find that chopped mango goes great with these flavors for a refreshing and delicious lunch!

Spicy black bean burrito bowl with avocado lime sauce

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

CILANTRO LIME BROWN RICE
-1 1/2 cups of uncooked brown rice
-3 cups of vegetable stock, no sodium added
-2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
-2 tbsp. lime juice
SPICY BLACK BEANS
-2 cans 15 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (canned)
-1/2 red onion, diced
-1 tsp. each cumin, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder
-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
-sea salt and pepper to taste
AVOCADO LIME SAUCE
-2 avocados
-1/4 cup of lime juice
-1 tsp. garlic powder
-sea salt and pepper to taste

-2 fresh tomatoes, or more as desired
-1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped, or more as desired

Method:

Cook brown rice in vegetable stock as package states (replace the water with vegetable stock). Add lime juice as it cooks. Meanwhile, drain and rinse black beans, and set aside. Heat oil in a skillet and add the chopped red onions and 1 chipotle adobo pepper. Cook until onion is translucent. Add the black beans to the skillet, and then add the spices. Cook over medium heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes, and reduce to low. As the brown rice and black beans cook, add the the avocado sauce ingredients above to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. When the rice is done cooking, add the chopped cilantro. Chop tomatoes and the rest of the cilantro for topping the bowl.  Add the brown rice to the bowl followed by the spicy black beans and avocado cream, tomatoes and extra cilantro and enjoy!