Coconut Black Beans and Rice My Way

This recipe is a variation on a basic baked beans and rice recipe in my favorite vegetarian cookbook. I continued to cook the coconut variation because these ingredients are some of my favorites but the final dish never tasted quite right.  Finally, I added more beans, a lot of garlic and stopped mashing half of the beans......and, voila, a dish that everyone in my family actually eats.  A very big deal around here. 

Coconut Black Beans and Rice

*adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian 

1.5 cup dried black beans, soaked or unsoaked

1.5 cups rice

(1) 16 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

garlic, minced

onion, chopped

coconut oil

salt and pepper

1. Saute garlic and onion in coconut oil in a heavy bottomed oven safe pan.

2. Add beans and enough water to just cover the beans.

3. Bring to a boil.  Cover.  Simmer until beans are soft but not completely cooked, adding water if needed - about 40 minutes using soaked beans and up to 1.5 hours using unsoaked beans.

4. Add rice and coconut milk.  Stir.

5. Bake, covered, on 350 until rice and beans are completely cooked, adding water if needed - about 45 minutes.

6. Salt and pepper to taste.