Recipe: Spicy Kidney Beans on Rice

This recipe was born because I had lots of cooked kidney beans still waiting to be used after my husband made chili on Super Bowl Sunday. I also have been looking at a can of coconut milk on my pantry shelf, knowing it would taste great in any dish with delicious SE Asian flavors. Then serendipitously I saw an old recipe from a Southern Living Magazine (2003), which helped me to tie these ingredients together.

Spicy Kidney Beans on Rice

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped

2-4 garlic cloves, minced (I used the larger amount)

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced fine

1 tablespoon red curry paste (taste at the end to decide if you want to add a bit more)

2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained (about 4 cups cooked beans if starting with dry beans)

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained 

1 (13.5-ounce) can lite coconut milk

1 teaspoon grated lime rind (I did not have a fresh lime to grate the rind so I used the full 3 Tbsp. of lime juice)

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon honey 

Salt to taste

4 cups hot cooked basmati or long-grain rice

Toppings: 

2 green onions or 2-4 heads of green garlic, chopped (white and green parts - even green garlic roots can be thoroughly washed and chopped); 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional - some people love cilantro, others just despise it - like my husband!, so I always try to include cilantro as a topping instead of an ingredient)

Note: Red curry paste may be found in the Asian section of large supermarkets or in Asian markets

Note: Chunks of extra-firm tofu could also be added, but I try to make a few dishes without any corn, wheat, soy, or dairy to freeze ahead for my daughter-in-law with food allergies. Now I know to label containers in the freezer with the code 'A+' which fit that bill, because I have learned (sad to say) that I cannot count on my memory!

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker (except coconut milk and rice and toppings). Cook until fully heated on high or low, depending on how much time there is before you want to eat. 

Add the coconut milk to the crockpot 30-40 minutes before eating, just enough to heat everything thoroughly. 

Start rice cooking on the stovetop or in a rice cooker about an hour before you would like to eat. Of course instant rice could be used or rice made ahead of time reheated on those days when you are really pressed for time (or just plain tired and want to eat now!). 

Serve over rice, with a salad and another vegetable, and you have a complete meal made with only a minimum of 'fuss'. This recipe easily makes enough for 5-6 servings of the kidney beans, so for us, there is enough to freeze or have for a couple of lunches throughout the week. 

Photo: Spicy Kidney Beans, to be served over rice

This recipe was beautiful, easy, and delicious! And I just love the "game" of being able to create supper on the spot without needing to go to the grocery store. 

Yum, yum! Enjoy. :)

Cultivate your life - you are what you grow - inch by inch, row by row,

Diana Dyer, MS, RD