RED KIDNEY BEANS WITH A BITE OF CHILLI

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As I become increasingly interested (some might say obsessed) in cooking, I find myself asking more questions about what particular food I use. Questions arose when I came across a recipe the other day for red kidney beans. What are these beans and what are their health benefits, I wondered.

Turns out that kidney beans in general are packed with cholesterol-lowering fibre, as many beans are. When combined with a rice dish like below, kidney beans become an (almost) fat free source of protein. In addition, kidney beans are an excellent source of iron, for all those vegetarians or infrequent meat eaters out there. There are several more benefits that I discovered; however in the interest of boring you I will cease my lecture here. If you are looking to whip up a low-fat, mexican-isk dish with a bite, look no further.  

INGREDIENTS 

• 250g chicken breast, cut into 2cm pieces
• 250g cherry tomatoes
• a medium sized head of broccoli, cut into small pieces and the stalks sliced. 
• cooking spray
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red capsicum, deseed and chopped into 2cm pieces 
• 410g can red kidney beans, drained 
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 400ml chicken stock 
• 200g doongara rice 
• sea salt & ground black pepper

COOKING 

1. Lightly spray a large frying pan with oil and heat on medium heat. Add onion, capsicum, broccoli head and stalks, garlic and chicken. Cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes or until chicken is coloured. 

2. Add the chilli powder, smoked paprika, rice, beans, tomatoes and stock to the pan. Add the salt & pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 25-30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. 

Serve with chopped fresh coriander or parsley if you wish. 

x E