Zucchini, Carrot & Black Bean Rice

One of my all-time favorite meals is a whole wheat tortilla filled with zucchini, carrots and black beans.  You can find that recipe here. 

There is just something about shredded carrots and zucchini sautéed together with delicious black beans and a hint of cheddar cheese.  Yum, yum, yum. 

This time, I added these veggies to brown rice.

The result was a delicious dinner and the leftovers in my lunch were even better!

Zucchini, Carrot and Black Bean Rice

Ingredients

• 2 C brown rice
• 1 C chicken broth
• 1 C water
• 1 tsp. minced onion
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered
• 4 oz. mushrooms, quartered
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. olive oil  
• 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
• Shredded cheese for garnish (e.g., cheddar, Parmesan)

Directions

Begin by cooking the 2 C rice in 1 C chicken broth and 1 C water along with 1 tsp. minced onion.  Cook according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, sauté the carrots in 1/2 tsp. olive oil for 3-4 minutes. 

Toss in the quartered zucchini and mushrooms.  Cook for 5-7 minutes until veggies are crisp-tender and the liquid from the mushrooms is evaporated.

Add in the black beans. 

Then, when the rice is ready, pour in the hot rice to the skillet. 

Garnish on the top with some shredded cheese.  I used a little bit of cheddar and some Parmesan. 

Serve warm.