Caribbean Black Beans with Mango Salsa

I was really excited to try this new heart healthy meal and we were not disappointed! Evan even liked it. The bonus was that I did everything in the microwave so I didn't have to turn on the oven at all - so nice! Obviously, you can do it easily on the stove, too, but if you're like me and don't want to heat your kitchen up, then this is a good go-to meal on hot nights. The flavors in this dish went together so well and we loved the mango salsa! I think I'll be making it by itself sometime soon because it was just that good. I put all of this on some quinoa and it was very filling. You could put it all on brown rice, too.

As a note, you can make the salsa ahead of time (or even freeze for later!) to let the flavors mingle more, and you can make the rice ahead of time, too.  If you do these things, this meal comes together in less than 15 minutes!

Caribbean Black Beans with Mango Salsa
serves 4

Active time:  20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Serving Suggestions:  A hearty green salad and/or a simple soup.

What you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice + 3 cups water
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup Orange Juice
• 1 TBLS onion powder OR 1 cup chopped
• 3/4 tsp powdered ginger OR 2 tsp fresh grated
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp allspice

Salsa:

• 2 cups peeled and chopped mango OR frozen mango chunks
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 TBLS lime juice
• 2 tsp herbs de provence OR your favorite combination of Italian type spices (on the sweeter side)
• chili powder to taste (1/4-1/2 tsp)

What you'll do:

• Make your rice.  
• Meanwhile, make your salsa.  Put all chopped mangoes in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.  You don't want juice, but you want it in at least small chunks. If you don’t have a food processor, just dice them fine.
• In a serving bowl, combine the mango with the diced red pepper,cucumber, lime juice, and spices.  Let chill in the refrigerator until dinner is ready to serve.  
• In a microwave safe dish that has a lid, mix the beans with the orange juice and spices and microwave for about 5 minutes.  Mash the beans with a potato masher (or large spoon) until halfway mashed.
• To plate - put a bed of rice down, topped with the bean mixture, and then further topped with the mango salsa!  Enjoy

NOTES:  

If you want to use raw ingredients, you can saute the onion and ginger in a little OO on the stove.  Then just add the beans, OJ, and spices and cook until heated through.

Time Tip:

• For a really quick meal, you can prep the rice and salsa the day before and then just whip together the bean mixture.  This dinner can be ready in less than 10 minutes from walking in the door!

Nutrition Facts (per serving, 1/4 of recipe):

Calories 461 (Calories from fat 23); Total Fat 3g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 840mg; Potassium 1193mg; Total Carbohydrate 94g (Dietary Fiber 21g); Sugars 18g; Protein 18g; Vitamins/Minerals - Vitamin A 2296 IU; Vitamin C 107mg; Calcium 128mg; Iron 6mg; Folate 210mcg