I LOVE not having class on Fridays. It means that Thursday is my Friday, and that’s pretty much the best feeling ever. When we got home from class this afternoon, we chilled out and watched some Food Network and then I got to work on dinner.

Pollo en Fricase (came out SO GOOD this time), plantains, and rice and beans. Everything was so flavorful and comfy tasting (can something taste comfy? I think so), but the star of the show here was the rice and beans.

Okay, maybe the chicken was an equal star but this is a newly perfected recipe and I’m excited to share it with you. It’s completely my own, from lots of tweaking and inspiration from several other recipes. This is close to a Puerto Rican style rice and beans, full of amazing savory flavors. At the base of tonight’s dinner was of course, a big, fresh bowl of sofrito.

Sofrito is nothing short of magic. I swear, it’s one of those secret weapons that everyone should have in the kitchen. It’s the base for the Pollo en Fricase and the rice and beans, and WOW the depth of flavor that it gives is amazing. And hey, nothing completes a meal quite like rice and beans.

Rice and Beans

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 T. salt
• 1 t. corriander (smoked is really good)
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. cumin
• 1/2 t. annatto seeds
• 1 t. chicken base (or 1 chicken bullion cube)
• 1 c. sofrito
• 1/4 c. recaito
• 2 c. medium grain rice
• 1 can small red beans
• 1 2/3 c. water

-In a deep saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the salt, pepper, corriander, garlic powder, cumin, annatto, and chicken base to the oil. Stir for a minute in the hot oil to let the spices open up.

-Add the sofrito and recaito to the pan, stir, and cook for 2 more minutes. Then add in the rice, stir, and cook for about five more minutes. The rice should turn translucent and be well incorporated with the seasonings.

-Drain and rinse the red beans. Add the beans and the water to the pot, stir to combine, and cover. Reduce the heat to low

-In about 10 minutes, gently stir the rice and beans, making sure to get the rice at the bottom of the pan. Cover and continue to let cook for another 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Enjoy it hot! Serves 8 as a side dish.

I love having my own rice and beans recipe! I fondly remember the taste of my mom’s rice and beans, which are so delicious and completely unique, and I love thinking about my future kids enjoying this dish in the same way. It goes so well with some sweet plantains fried in coconut oil…

And of course the yummy stewed chicken…

I think this is officially our favorite dinner.

I just realized that I should have saved this meal for the weekend, my sista from another mista Emily is coming to visit us tomorrow! She would love this meal! But that’s okay, I have plenty of good meals in mind for us this weekend. 🙂

Tomorrow I have a special home decor post to share with you, can’t wait!

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren