Fast and Healthy Day 14: Caribbean Rice and Peas

Now I know that many of you that may read this do not need a recipe for rice and peas, but I am sharing this 1. because it is awesome and 2. because it is a special recipe for our family. 1-2 times a month we have just this for dinner. We take the time to write to our Compassion sponsor child Anthony in Peru, and make our kids aware of issues of hunger around the world. This is an excellent and flavorful rice dish, and I love to eat it on green salad. (but it is nowhere near as good as Hopa's) I have found that if you are trying to make large amounts of rice it helps to have a heavy bottomed pot that distributes heat evenly.

This is not a photo of one of our "Anthony" dinners, but I put it in as an example of how versatile this recipe can be. I used the same recipe to make a Mexican style main dish. I used diced poblano chilis, yellow peppers, and black beans with Mexican spices (cumin garlic and cilantro).


Caribbean Rice and Peas

1 1/4 cups long grain rice
1 can (14 oz)  small red beans
3 2/3 cups water
2 oz creamed cocoanut chopped (you can also use 2 tbsp butter)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 small onion stuck with 6 whole cloves
salt and ground pepper

1. Put the rice, beans water creamed cocoanut, thyme, onion, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the cocoanut melts.
2. Cover and simmer gently for 20 min,
3. Remove the lid and allow to cook uncovered for 5 minutes (steam) to reduce the excess liquid. Remove from heat and fluff so it does not stick. The rice will be very dry.