Black Beans and Rice

I made the pulled pork recipe a couple of days ago, not thinking about how much pork it would make. Only afterward did it dawn on me that I had enough pork for at least three meals, possibly four. And as much as Naomi would be happy eating just pork for dinner all week, I wanted to make something else to eat in addition to the pork. Then I had an inspiration: rice! There had to be a rice dish that would go well with pulled pork. So I did a search and found the following recipe for black beans and rice. When I saw that both the pulled pork and the rice and bean dish called for a squeeze of lime as a garnish, I figured it was a sign that they would go well together.

I based my black bean and rice dish on the following recipe for Easy Black Beans and Rice. However, Michael and I don't prefer bell peppers and we like things a little spicier than what the recipe called for, so I decided to have fun and tweak things a bit.

Black Beans and Rice
serves 4 adults as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
  
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper, depending on how hot you like it
  
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  
• 1 15-ounce black beans, drained and rinsed. Look for a can that has just black beans, water, and salt.
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

Cook the rice according to the package. Mine took 20 minutes to cook and then I let it rest for 10 minutes. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat and then saute the chopped onions until they are tender. Add the garlic, oregano, paprika, cumin, Cayenne pepper, black pepper, and sea salt. Stir and saute for another minute. Add the black beans and apple cider vinegar and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, turn heat down to low, cover, and let sit over low heat for a few minutes. Garnish with lime juice and cilantro.