When I told Tim we were having ‘beans and rice’ for dinner, he busted out with some Baby Got Back lyrics, so I couldn’t resist using them as my title. Black beans and rice would be more accurate, however. This is a recipe adapted from Vegan Yum Yum, which is a fantastic vegan cook book. Not one recipe has yet to let me down from this book.
The best part about this dinner is that it has kale–and I still like it. There seem to be an abundant number of vegan and vegetarian bloggers out there who claim to love kale. I wish I could say I fell in this camp but then I would just be a poser. Kale, in my very humble opinion, does not taste good. At all. Unless it’s in the form of kale chips, I’m never too impressed with this particular leafy green. That being said, I know I should try to sneak it into my diet every now and then since it has super nutritional properties and those super green veggies are the ones we should be striving to get the most of in our diets.
And here is where Tahini Lemon Rice and Beans comes in to save me from my kale-hating ways. Now, I had to adjust this recipe some because in addition to the kale, black beans, and brown rice it calls for, it also includes seitan. I have only had one seitan experience. I tried to make it homemade using the recipe from Veganomicon , and the results were not pretty. I can usually choke down my cooking disasters even when I know it isn’t the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted, but this–this was completely inedible. So right off the bat seitan was eliminated from the ingredient list. I can’t say what it would be like with the seitan, but without it, it was delicious. So good that as I am writing this I wish I had a plate in front of me even though I just had lunch. The kale blends right in with the dish and I couldn’t taste any of its normal bitterness. The sauce is incredibly rich and creamy. I’m pretty sure I’ll be making this dish again very soon as I am salivating just from writing this description.
Let me warn you before I get to the recipe: it isn’t a pretty meal. Tim suggested I not photograph this one. I went ahead and took the picture because I know I like seeing what something is supposed to look like before I make it. Cook books with color photos are my favorite. 🙂

Red beans and rice did miss her!

Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Author: Healthy Happy Mama
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: main meal
Cuisine: American

Scale

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice
Tahini Lemon Sauce (recipe below)
Coconut oil for sauteing
1/2 bunch kale, deveined and chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, or one 15.5 ounce can, rinsed and drained

Tahini Lemon Sauce

1/4 cup low-sodium Tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup tahini
Juice from 1 large lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (I use regular rather than vegan varieties since I’m not a vegan and don’t necessarily need my meals to be completely animal-free)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Start cooking the rice according to the package directions or however you normally cook your rice.
Make your sauce. Simply whisk all the ingredients together (see my lovely ingredients picture above?) in a bowl and set aside.
Once your rice is getting close to being done, start the next step.
Heat a small amount of oil in a saute pan and add the kale. Once the kale starts to wilt, add the beans and heat through.
Stir in the sauce and turn off the heat. Cover until the rice is finished. Once the rice is finished cooking, add it to the pan and toss to coat.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 507
Sugar: 4.75g
Sodium: 137mg
Fat: 35g
Carbohydrates: 34.7g
Protein: 15.5g

Keywords: easy dinner recipe

I told you it wasn’t pretty, but remember it is oh so good!

Meghan took one look at this dish and said, “Oooh! Oooh!”, which, by the way, is her way of saying, “Noooo! Noooo!” because she doesn’t pronounce her n’s yet. This was frustrating because I know this is one meal she would like if she would just taste it! She hasn’t yet learned the value of not judging a meal by its looks and I don’t think she’s quite old enough for me to apply the “you must at least taste everything” rule. She did eat some black beans once they were removed from the other offending ingredients and made to look completely plain. Secretly, I think Tim and I weren’t too upset that she didn’t eat any because that meant there was more for us.

Comments

Kelly says
February 4, 2011 at 1:03 pm

Maryea, I was not a kale lover either. I did find out that, in order to use kale in recipes, you must steam it for a few minutes first, then squeeze out the excess water and put it in the food processor. I have used it ever since I found this trick and it adds such a depth to “sauce-y” things like black beans, pintos, red beans & rice and I always add it to my spaghetti sauce and soups now, too. The way to tell if it’s been steamed long enough (but not too long — it should stay nice and green), is to take a leaf out after it’s been steaming for a few minutes and …. EAT it! If the juice that comes out of the leaf is bitter, steam it a couple minutes longer. If the juice is sort of sweet tasting, it’s done. Shock it under cold water right away, to keep it from overcooking. This was a life-changing discovery for me, I’m telling you! Good luck.

Kim says
September 8, 2011 at 7:33 pm

Maryea, I have tried many recipes online where you could leave responses or reviews. Until now, I have never responded or wrote a review. In the past two days I have tried two of your meals (i.e., Tahini Lemon Rice and Beans AND the Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers) and they were not only fabulous, but easy and healthy. You can’t get much better than that! I will definitely be following you closely 🙂 Also, never have I had the entire family baby, 9, 10 and hubby all love the same meal. Finally some meals everyone will eat. Thank you! I also love having pictures of the meals, no matter what it may look like.

- Maryea says
  September 8, 2011 at 9:05 pm
  
  Thank you so much for the feedback, Kim. Hearing from moms like you really makes what I do worth the while. 🙂
  
Kim says
September 8, 2011 at 7:36 pm

Also, Kelly, thanks for the suggestion to steam the kale. It definitely takes away the bitterness. I will be using it much more frequently now.

Anna Jorgenson says
February 23, 2012 at 10:23 pm

I made a mistake with this one. I used “Reduced Sodium” Tamari (same brand as yours) and I think that made the dish way too salty. But I can’t wait to try it again with “Low Sodium” Tamari. I love peanut sauces like this one.

lei says
February 28, 2012 at 3:25 pm

This is such a yummy dish. I actually added some mushrooms (cooked with kale) and it was delicious. Thanks for the easy recipe

- Maryea says
  February 29, 2012 at 3:31 pm
  
  You’re welcome, Lei! It sounds wonderful with your addition of mushrooms.
  
Green Coffee Diet says
April 30, 2013 at 11:54 pm

Hey there are using WordPress for your blog platform?
I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying
to get started and create my own. Do you need any coding knowledge
to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

- Maryea says
  May 1, 2013 at 10:02 am
  
  Yes, I do use WordPress. Coding knowledge is not really necessary. Good luck!

Red beans and rice did miss her!