Meatless Monday: Black Beans and Rice with Fire Roasted Vegetables

Beans and Rice pretty boring, right?  Yup, that's what I thought before I tried Black Beans and Rice with Fire Roasted Vegetables from The Roasted Vegetable.  It's the roasted veggies that really make this dish.  Sweet, tender with a bit of a zip thanks to the chipotles in adobe sauce.  It's well known amongst my friends that I do not have much tolerance when it comes to chilies.  This meal had enough spice to keep my tongue tingling, and still add a little heat and zip for Paul and Kevin.

Make sure you allow yourself enough time to prepare this dish -- it took close to two hours to prepare.  If you're pressed for time the book says you can substitute of a 19 ounce can of black beans for the dried ones, rinse well and drain, and season with ground cumin.

Black Beans and Rice with Fire-Roasted Vegetables
The Roasted Vegetable
Yield:  Serves 4

Beans
1 cup dried black beans, rinsed, picked over, and soaked overnight in water to cover
4 cups water
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt

Vegetables
1 medium size red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 medium size green bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 small to medium size zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 medium size onion, halved and slivered
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tsp minced chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup homemade or store-bought salsa, or more to taste
Hot cooked white or brown rice (I used brown cooked in vegetable stock)
Sour cream

     Drain the beans.  In a medium size saucepan, combine the beans, water, cumin, and salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
     While the beans cook, preheat the oven to 425.  Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or half sheet pan.
     To make the vegetables, in a large bowl combine the bell peppers, zucchini, onion, and corn.  In a small bowl combine the oil, chipotles, and cumin.  Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Arrange in a single layer in the pan.
     Roast for about 35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking.
     When the beans are tender, drain off the excess water.  Combine the beans and the salsa.  taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or salsa as needed.
     To serve, transfer the hot rice to a large serving platter or individual plates.  Spoon the beans over the rice.  Top with the roasted vegetables.  Pass the sour cream at the table.