Fiesta Rice

A perfectly delicious and healthy rice recipe! This Fiesta Rice is packed with nutritious goodness and incredibly hearty. It’s made up of brown rice, black beans, tons of fresh colorful vegetables and it’s all tossed with a bright cilantro lime dressing. You’ll love it! I love to serve it with grilled chicken or pan seared salmon, and it would also be delicious with shrimp. Honestly though it’s so filling that you could just serve up a bowlful of this for lunch or dinner and no one would be complaining. We all get caught in the slump of “what am I going to make to go with it”? This seems like a good all-purpose place to go, no more boring plain rice! And it’s made with simple ingredients yet it’s brimming with flavor! Fresh ingredients make the best recipes! It’s just one of those recipes that you can feel great about eating, possibly even giving you a little pep in your step instead of feeling weigh down after dinner. This is fuel you through the day food.

Ingredients:
2½ Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp minced garlic (1 large clove)
2½ cups leftover cooked rice, chilled
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained well
2 medium Roma tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup chopped green, or orange bell pepper (or a blend)
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed according to package instructions*
½ cup chopped red onion, rinsed under cold water to remove harsh bite and drained well
1 avocado, diced (optional)**
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
In a small mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, cumin and garlic.
To a large bowl add rice, black beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeno, corn, red onion and avocado.
Pour lime mixture over ingredients rice mixture and toss to evenly coat while seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:
*It is now advised to cook frozen corn to 165 degrees due to possible bacteria. I cook in a little water in the microwave to heat through, then run under cold water and drain well to cool.
**If you plan on leftovers I recommend only adding avocado to the portion you’ll be serving so you don’t end up with browned diced avocado in the rice.

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