VEGAN Bean Chili Veggie Rice

Rice and beans is probably one of the best rice combinations ever! Of course, lots of colourful vegetables added in for extra nutrients (and taste)!

I actually didn't know what a 'chili' dish is before I was active on instagram. A lot of my friends post this tomato-bean-kinda dish that is served with rice and they call it chili (I thought it was spicy because chili is… you get the idea :p) but turns out it's not, it's filled with beans, vegetables, spices, and tomato sauce (traditionally people add meat but NOT me hahah, vegan brah!)

Then I thought, why not just mix the rice into the dish? So that way you'll get an equal ratio of chili : rice in every bite! Life hacks! So good mmm...

Also, I recently read about 'complete protein' and protein absorption, etc. The book I read says that some foods (especially most plant protein sources) have incomplete amino acid or something, so it's best to mix two sources together to balance it out and so that our body can absorb and use all the protein (in this case, rice and beans)! And it does make sense since this combo has been around for ages!! I think I'll need to look into that subject more, real interesting!

Recipe

• 3 c cooked rice (I used white rice this time but you can use any rice that you prefer)
• 2 c chopped vegetables (I used broccoli & carrots)
• 1 c halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 c black/red beans (cooked)
• 1/2 c tomato paste (I use one from a jar) *see note
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp sriracha or other spicy sauce (optional, but highly recommended)
• 1 tbsp curry powder mix
• salt, pepper, to taste (optional)
• water, as needed

*note: you can use 1 cup tomato 'sauce' (the one for pasta) instead of the thicker/concentrated tomato paste + water that I used.

Method

1. Arrange the halved cherry tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast the cherry tomatoes in a preheated 200 Celcius oven until wrinkled (but not burnt), about 20 minutes.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, put in your chopped vegetables and boil until tender when pierced with a fork (about 3-5 minutes). Drain the vegetables (but leave some moisture in them to help cooking process later), dump it all into a large non-stick frying pan.
3. Add in the cooked rice, beans and roasted tomatoes to the pan, stir everything together until mixed.
4. Turn on the heat (medium-high), pour the tomato paste, sriracha, coconut sugar, curry powder into the frying pan, stir fry until everything is heated through, coated with the seasoning (add water if needed until the consistency is creamy and 'saucy'). Taste a bit, add more coconut sugar if you want it to be sweeter, add more spicy sauce if you want it spicier, etc.
5. Pour into a big bowl, Enjoy!!!