Rice & Beans
 

I've shifted from white rice to 'red' shelled rice. I'm not sure if that actually is healthier but I want to try incorporating a bean medley or multi-grain rice. Any suggestions for recipes or brands I can try? I've tried various kinds at restaurants and they taste delicious, I'm not sure if they cook it in broth or something. I tried a can of bean medley from superstore... it didn't quite work out haha. The Heinz ones in brown sugar syrup obviously taste really good (the ketchup ones that are popular in Asia is even better) but not as healthy and plain as I'd like them in a meal.

TIA

Beans at restaurants that taste awesome use lard.
I think you're screwed.

:fullofwin:

As a general rule, anything that tastes delicious will be "bad" for you.

Plain/healthy stuff never tastes as awesome as the bad stuff.

This.

I've been sticking to more or less a black bean + chicken diet on my working days for a while now. Black beans boiled and chicken barely seasoned and baked. Everything starts getting so bland and disgusting I actually have to wash it down with water or milk after each bite.

I've been doing this just to step up my diet a little bit though; prior to this I had a lot of brown rice/whole wheat pasta--and there are several good tasting recipes you can whip up with those.

You can make gallo pinto. Eat this everyday in Costa Rica, never get tired of it. Craving some of it now.

Costa Rican Gallo Pinto Recipe (beans and rice) - Costa Rica

Gallo Pinto (beans and rice) Recipe

1 lb (450 gr.) Black beans. Fresh are best but most likely you’ll find them dried.
8-10 sprigs cilantro (coriander leaf) fresh or frozen, not dried!
1 small or medium onion
½ small red or yellow sweet pepper (optional)
3 cups (700 ml) chicken broth or water
2 cups (350 ml) white rice
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
1-3 Tablespoon oil to fry the Gallo Pinto

If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight, if they are fresh, just rise them off. Drain the beans and add fresh water to an inch (2.5-cm) above the top of the beans, salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat to very low simmer until beans are soft (~3 hours).

Chop cilantro, onion, and sweet pepper very fine.

Add 1 Tablespoon oil to a large pan and sauté the dry rice for 2 minutes over medium high flame then add half of the chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro and sauté another 2 minutes. Add water or chicken broth, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer until rice is tender (20-35 minutes). This is also the recipe for Tico rice used in other favorites like tamales.

Once the rice and beans are cooked you can refrigerate or freeze them. Keep a significant amount of the “black water” with the beans (½-1 cup 120-240 ml). This is what gives the rice its color and some of its flavor. Sauté the rice, beans reserved chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro together in vegetable oil for a few minutes. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped cilantro just before serving.