Spicy Beans with Coconut Rice

Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.

Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.

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Serves: 3-4

INGREDIENTS
For the rice:
1 cup brown rice
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
Pinch salt

For the beans:
1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (or 1 15 oz. can of peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped)
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans
1 15 oz. can pinto beans
1-2 slices of chipotle pepper (soak dried chiles in hot water till soft; drain and save soaking water) + 1-2 teaspoons of the soaking water
1 teaspoon salt
1 avocado, sliced
About 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the rice, coconut milk, water and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed.

In the meantime, sautee the onion in the oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook for about five minutes, then add the garlic and tomatoes. Cook for about ten more minutes, or until the tomatoes are starting to soften and fall apart. Smash the tomatoes with the back of a spoon to break them up.

Add the beans, chipotle pepper, soaking water and salt, starting with a small amount of pepper and sauce and then tasting the spice level. Add more until you have reached your desired level of spice. Cook for about 10 more minutes, until the beans are heated through and the tomatoes have become a sauce.

Serve the rice and beans together with the avocado slices and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.

Adapted from a recipe from orchardstreetkitchen.com