making rice and beans more exciting

I cook black beans and rice about once a week, and it's never the same. I usually start with drained and rinsed canned beans, and add any of the following: - tomatoes - peppers (either hot or sweet) - green taco sauce - brown sugar (just a little!) - sherry - cumin - garlic - onion Top with any of the following when done: - fresh cilantro - green onions - cheese - sour cream Also, experiment with different rice, such as jasmine, brown or yellow rice.

Maybe search for a recipe with some cilantro and lime added in. I think that would be yummy!

Cook the beans in a slow cooker with a jar of salsa, though I agree with a previous poster that black beans with yellow rice is really amazing. We use this as a vegetarian burrito filling, or this recipe I have for brown rice and lentil taco filling that's cheap and very filling and delicious.

What about trying to find a recipe for spanish rice? You can also add some bell pepper, onion, corn, cumin and cayenne to your beans. I'm doing this from memory so some tweeking will probably be needed. Start by chopping one bell pepp (i prefer red) and 1/2 and onion and saute in a skillet until the onions are translucent. Then add your spices (about 1/4 tsp or more - do to taste) as well as some salt. Then add to black beans along with 1 cup frozen corn..tasty stuff and great for burrito fillings too!

I just drain the black beans from the can, heat them up and dollop some sour cream on them. YUM