Mexican Stirfry

Rain, rain, go away...I don't even remember the last sunny day we had. I guess the only heat around here is going to have to come from a combination of the thermostat in the house and some spices in the food. I'm hesitant to go too spicy though because I'm still nursing the baby, so I added just a scant few chili flakes to this Mexican-inspired medley of rice, beans and veggies.

This recipe serves one, as I was just cooking for myself, but really, sautéing some extra veggies and beans for another few people is very easy. The only thing I would suggest is that for the rice, don't use the usual 1 part rice + 2 parts water because there will be too much liquid once the tomato boils down. I used an equal rice to water ratio and it turned out fine.

Rice
1/4 cup brown rice
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red onion
1/8 cup cilantro
1 tomato, diced
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/4 cup water


Sauté rice, garlic, and onion in olive oil for 2 minutes on medium heat. Turn heat up to max, add tomato, chili flakes, cilantro and water and bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat down to simmer for 45-55 minutes, until rice is tender.

Stirfry
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup red onion
1/4 cup sliced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced orange bell pepper
1-2 button mushrooms
3/4 cup broccoli
1/2 cup pinto beans
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp lime juice (or juice from 1 lime wedge)
fresh ground salt & pepper to taste

Sauté veggies, beans and chili flakes in olive oil on medium-high heat stirring occasionally until broccoli is a nice bright green - about 7 minutes. If it looks like it's about to get a bit dry, add a splash (1 tsp) of Braggs or plain water. Serve on a bed of rice. Squeeze lime juice over the veggies, grind up some salt and pepper on them, and enjoy!