BLACK BEAN MEXICAN CASSEROLE

"MOM HURRY UP AND TAKE THE PICTURE SO I CAN EAT MY DINNER!!!!"

That's my life as a food blogger.

We love Mexican food! Some how Seth has developed a taste for spicy food so that's a bonus!! (This dish is mild in spice, but feel free to add more)

One important note! If you use beans from a can always make sure you rinse them VERY WELL with cold water. It removes all the soaked enzymes. If you don't rinse them you could become...extra gassy! You know beans! They are a magical fruit. haha

This recipe is awesome if you have 1 cup of left over rice!

Just looking at this picture makes me want to eat it again. Our family of five (minus baby Kyri) almost finished this whole dish. We saved half a serving for left overs. I would have eaten it but I had Chloe's Dance Gala to go too and I didn't want to be overly full. Chloe won the award 'For the Love of Dance'. The award is given to the girl who clearly shows she loves dance. Chloe was chosen out of 100+ girls. We are so proud of her. She dances with passion and she is amazing to watch.

Black Bean Mexican Casserole 
My hubby asked for this dish on his birthday, so I thought I’d better add it to the book. Plus I’ve made it around 10 times now. Yep! It’s deeeelicous! It’s not too spicy so feel free to add more kick if you like.

Serves 4

• 1 large yam or sweet potato, cubed
• 1 1/2 tsp. coconut oil
• 7 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1/2 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. Chipotle Vegenaise or 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 pk. taco seasoning (without added salt, refined sugar or powdered milk)
• 1 400ml. can black beans
• 2 tsp. Mexican seasoning (optional)

Garnish

·         Salsa (no sugar added)

·         green onion

·         celtic sea salt, ground

·         nutritional yeast

·         chia seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Cut potato into cubes. Melt coconut oil in a large frying pan on low/medium heat. Fry potato for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add sliced mushrooms and fry for 10 more minutes, until potatoes and mushrooms are soft. Mix in chipotle sauce or powder and Mrs. Dash. Add to a casserole dish as the base layer.

3. Bring 3 cups of water and rice to a bowl in a medium sized pot. Turn the burner down to low/medium heat and cover. Cook for 25 minutes until bubbles are gone. Take off heat and fluff with a fork. Cover for another 5 minutes. Add taco seasoning in with the cooked brown rice. Add to the casserole dish and spread out evenly.

4. Open the can of black beans. Pour into a bowl of water and let soak for 30 minutes. Rinse well, until frothy bubbles are gone. Fry black beans on low heat with ½ tsp. coconut oil in a pan for 5 minutes. Add Mexican seasoning and stir. Add to casserole dish dish and spread out evenly.

5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes on the middle rack until hot.

6. Garnish with salsa, green onion, ground celtic sea salt, nutritional yeast and chia seeds. Serve hot.

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