It’s that time of the year— it’s the middle of winter and everything just feels “blah”.  Spring can’t come fast enough.

Those girl scout cookies are disappearing fast (um, no, I don’t know where that other box went…) and it’s hard to make it to the gym on cold, dark evenings after work.

It’s time to spice things up a bit!  Try this beans and rice recipe that you can feel good about eating, and has tons of flavor, plus a bit of a kick. It’s almost a soup, but pretty chunky and hearty.

Beans and rice together form a complete protein, offering you all 8 essential amino acids your body needs to build and repair muscles.

So if you are vegetarian or vegan worried about consuming enough protein, or just trying to limit your intake of meat, this is a great meal to up your protein.

Brown rice is a great source of fiber, and is lower glycemic than white rice, so I recommend using it here.  I would also try to use a low sodium broth, and low sodium beans if possible, because the sodium in canned foods adds up quickly.

I also threw some kale in to add an extra serving of greens, and the paprika and cayenne add a little zip without being overwhelming.  Plus, this is a pretty quick meal to throw together.  Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you– taking the time to cook will also help beat the cold.

So if you’ve got the mid-winter blahs this time of year, go ahead and give this recipe a try!

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice, cooked
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves of garlic
1 T. paprika
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. cayenne
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried thyme
6 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)
2 cups chopped celery (4-5 stalks)
1 large bell pepper (red or green)
1 bay leaf
2 cups torn kale
salt and pepper

Recipe

1. Cook rice, per instructions.

2. Saute chopped onion in olive oil, when almost done, add minced garlic and spices (paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, oregano, thyme).

3. Mash up about a cup of the kidney beans with a fork or masher.  Place them in pot with rest of kidney beans, chopped celery, pepper, broth, bay leaf.  Add onion mixture.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until celery is tender.

4. Add cooked rice and torn kale leaves.  Let simmer 4-5 more minutes, until kale starts to soften, but isn’t wilted.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

xo Kate