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Black Beans & Rice with Fresh Mango, Mango Vinaigrette & Pumpkin Seeds

Roberta Reynolds
Traditional Black Beans and Rice, while providing a ‘perfect protein’ combination, can be, well….not too appetizing. Keeping in mind that we eat with our eyes first, we combine the beans with pieces of beautiful mango, which also boosts the nutritional benefits of this dish, and marinate them in mango vinaigrette for more flavor. Finally, we place the bean mixture in the center of a heaping bowl of cumin-scented jasmine rice, and drizzle with cilantro oil to finish. As a grand finale, we top the whole works with roasted pumpkin seeds. Good looks and brains too!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • FOR THE JASMINE RICE
  • 1 cup Jasmine rice
  • 2-½ cups water
  • 1- tablespoon olive oil
  • 1-2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
  • 1- teaspoon salt
  • FOR THE MANGO VINAIGRETTE
  • 1 large ripe mango pitted and coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • ¾ cup canola or other neutral oil – don’t use olive oil; the flavor is too strong and it seems to make the dressing bitter
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • FOR THE BLACK BEAN MIXTURE
  • 2 cans black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced into ¼ inch pieces
  • 2 scallions trimmed and sliced on the bias
  • 1 jalapeno chili seeded and finely diced (optional)
  • FOR THE PUMPKIN SEEDS
  • ¾ cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
  • FOR THE CILANTRO OIL
  • 1 large bunch cilantro about 1 cup, rinsed well and very coarsely chopped
  • 1- cup canola or other neutral oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • FOR THE RICE
  • Heat water, olive oil and salt in shallow pan over medium high heat until water simmers.
  • Add rice and stir to mix well with water. Add cumin.
  • When water returns to a simmer, reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until water is just evaporated – try hard not to let it boil hard. Turn off heat, and let mixture rest for about 5 minutes. Drizzle with a bit more oil or a little butter before serving. Chill if not using right away, or allow to come to room temperature before proceeding with the rest of this dish.
  • FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
  • Combine all lime juice and mango in a blender, and process until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the canola oil. Continue processing until mixture has thickened.
  • FOR THE BLACK BEANS
  • In a medium sized bowl, combine beans, diced mango, scallions and jalapeno.
  • Add enough vinaigrette to beans just to cover – this should be about half of the vinaigrette. . Stir well and allow to rest for 30 minutes if you can so beans can absorb some of the vinaigrette flavors.
  • FOR THE PUMPKIN SEEDS
  • Place pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet in one layer.
  • Drizzle with oil and salt lightly.
  • Toast in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until seeds start to become fragrant but are
  • still pretty much green in color.
  • Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
  • FOR THE CILANTRO OIL
  • Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for 3 minutes, or until mixture is very smooth.
  • Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl (try not to press down or mixture might get cloudy – if you just have to, do so gently).
  • Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • USE WITHIN ONE WEEK OR DISCARD – HERB OILS ARE NOT SAFE TO KEEP AROUND FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
  • TO SERVE
  • Place the rice in a large, shallow bowl. Leave a well in the center for the beans.
  • Using a slotted spoon, place beans in the center of the bowl of rice.
  • Drizzle rice with any remaining vinaigrette. You can also drizzle with cilantro oil.