Brown Rice Black Bean Bowls with Tomatillo Salsa, Avocado, and Queso Fresco

This is a super flavorful and healthy recipe and it is a great alternative to the beans and rice you would get at a Mexican restaurant. It is also a vegetarian dish, and it contains plenty of protein to keep you satisfied.

This recipe combines some of my favorite ingredients to cook with, and eat of course. Brown rice, avocado, lime, cilantro, and a little spice. How could you go wrong?

I am a huge fan of making some type of grain, wilting in greens while the grain is still warm, and then adding bunch of veggies. You can see another example of this from my quinoa post last week. So versatile!

I also made my own tomatillo salsa to go on top of these bowls, which is optional, but highly recommended!

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35-45 minutes

For the tomatillo salsa: I adapted the salsa from this recipe
3/4 lb. to 1 lb. tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
1/2 c. chopped red onion (about half of a medium red onion)
2 jalapeño peppers, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. lime zest
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
juice of half a lime
1/2 c. chopped cilantro

For the rice:
3 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. brown rice
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups baby kale or green of your choice (field greens, spinach, shredded romaine or butter lettuce would work here too)
avocado slices for serving
crumbled queso fresco for serving
more chopped cilantro for garnish

Begin by boiling water for rice. Once water boils, add rice, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and a big pinch of salt. Cover, and reduce heat to medium/low, and cook for 35-45 minutes or until rice is tender.

In the meantime, make the salsa. Combine tomatillos, red onion, jalapeños, garlic, lime zest, red pepper flake, salt and pepper, and water in a food processor. Pulse 15-20 times until coarsely chopped, and then puree for 20-30 seconds until smooth. Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat with 2 T. of avocado oil or olive oil. Once heated, put salsa in pan and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has cooked out. Cool, and then stir in cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

When rice is finished, stir in drained and rinsed black beans, and wilt in the baby kale or mixed greens while rice is still hot. Season rice with salt and pepper. Portion rice into bowls, and top with several spoonfuls of salsa, sliced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, and more chopped cilantro. The toppings for this are really endless. You could add hot sauce, chopped tomatoes, chopped red onion, grilled corn, etc. Enjoy!