Baked and beautiful!

   Another dish which proves that you don't need meat and that you won't even notice it's not there. The secret is simple... you need to make the dish delicious, satisfying and loaded with proteins. I took two of the most common vegetarian ingredients: brown rice and black beans, and transformed them into this rich and flavorful Mexican-style rice casserole. Lots of beans, lots of cheese, and lots of cilantro... and I have to admit, it's pretty good! Recipe serves 8:

Ingredients:

*  4 cups brown rice
*  1 tsp ground cumin
*  1 tsp five spice
*  1 tsp salt
*  2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
*  1 15oz can tomato sauce
*  2 cups frozen corn, thawed
*  1 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
*  2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
*  4 eggs
*  1 cup milk
*  2 McCormick packets of Original Taco Seasoning
*  1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1. In a large pot boil rice with salt, cumin and five spice. Cook for 30 minutes, drain and set aside to cool down.
2. In a large bowl whisk eggs with milk, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. Add corn, drained beans, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, and cilantro.
3. Add cooled rice, mix everything to combine and transfer into a deep baking dish.
4. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and panko bread crumbs. Bake at 375F for 30-40 minutes. Let is stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting into it.

   Smells awesome! Cheese and bread crumbs on the top create a nice gooey crust (yes, crust can be gooey!), cilantro and taco seasoning give it this distinguish flavor that just makes you want to eat more and more. If you want to convince your carnivore partner to eat some vegetarian dishes... this is the way to go!

Enjoy,
Magda.