Sunday March 31 Venezuelan Black Beans and Yellow Rice with Garlic Rating: 4.75

I kind of have a thing for these beans. And the rice. The combo (both recipes are in Viva Vegan) is one of our make it again and again and again meals. You want to do it on a weekend or a day you have plenty of time to let the beans cook because they need about 3 hours. They’re worth every minute. The first time I made them, I was a bit thrown by the sofrito recipe that goes in them. It’s basically a lot of bell peppers and a lot of onions cooked in a lot of oil until they reduce significantly. (I use about half the amount of oil the recipe calls for, and it’s totally fine.) But once I figured out how it’s supposed to go, it’s been smooth sailing. The beans recipe makes a big batch, so we normally have a couple of lunches from it and put the rest in the freezer and use them later for tacos or enchiladas or nachos – you get the idea. The rice is really easy to make and will impress your friends and neighbors. It tastes like you worked really hard seasoning it and making it turn yellow, but really it comes together super fast. We like to serve this meal as sort of deconstructed nachos  - which chips (who needs forks?) and topped with lettuce and salsa. Sometimes, two kinds of salsa. I like a little Tofutti sour cream with mine, too.