Add fruit to your beans to make a difference

I know Steve and the kids would not believe me because I never seem to tire of beans and rice, but - really - sometimes it gets a little dull.

Most days, I have beans and rice for at least one meal. Red beans, black beans, pinto beans, cranberry beans...all kinds of beans. I even vary up the kinds of rice: white, brown, wild, yellow, risotto...

And, then, one day, I'll just be craving something completely different.

A few weeks ago, I started experimenting with fruit mixed in with the beans. Right now, the cornucopia of fruits available at the produce mart...and even at the grocery store...is pretty paltry. Even with all the genetic engineering and with the artificial methods of ripening fruit, there just hasn't been much from which to choose.

Different fruits taste better with different varieties of beans, I discovered.

While tomatoes (yes, tomatoes are fruits) taste better with the kidney beans or cannelini beans, citrus fruits seem to go better with red beans and pinto beans.

But start mixing in some tropical fruits (such as bananas and mangoes) with black beans and rice and you've got a winning flavor. Add some heat to that flavor and...lordy...you've got a party you won't want to miss.

Just experiment with the flavors you like and see how they work together. I'm not a big fan of strawberries and beans, but someone told me they love to mix the fruit with canellini beans. So try it...maybe a few beans with a slice of fruit at a time to see what works for you.

Black Beans, Rice and Tropical Fruits

1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup of rice, cooked
1 banana, cut up
1 mango, cut up
1/2 jalapeno pepper, cut very finely
1 green onion, white and green parts, cut up very finely
Mix all the ingredients.


Vegan.