By Rip Esselstyn
This is a mainstay dinner dish that is as basic as they come–and oh so good! Just like my morning bowl of cereal, I’ve been eating this meal for more than three decades. This is also a great meal to serve when you’re having extra guests over for dinner.
Serve with healthy chips or warm corn tortillas.
Serves 3 to 4.
Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 to 3 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained
1 cup corn, fresh, frozen, or canned
2 red, yellow, or green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
3 cups cooked brown rice
salsa or tamari, to taste
Instructions:
1. Heat the beans with water, Bragg’s, and chili powder.
2. Chop vegetables and place in individual bowls.
3. To serve, place several big spoonfuls of brown rice onto large plates and ladle beans on top.
4. Add generous handfuls of chopped vegetables on top of the beans.
5. Add salsa or tamari to taste.
Rip Esselstyn is a mission-driven man. As a swimmer at the University of Texas at Austin, he was a three time All-American. As a professional athlete, he was one of the premier triathletes in the world for more than a decade. As a firefighter for the Austin (TX) Fire Department, he helped people and saved lives. As a friend to other firefighters, he transformed the way Austin’s Engine 2 ate to save firefighters’ health. Now, as the author of The Engine 2 Diet, he is teaching people the irrefutable connection between what they put in their mouths and their ability to reach their ideal weight and their ideal health. Recently, he has teamed up with Whole Foods Market as a Healthy Eating Partner to raise awareness for Whole Foods Market team members, customers, and all of America about the benefits of eating a PlantStrongÔ diet composed of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Rip comes from a family steeped in medicine. His great-grandfather, George Crile, co-founded the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, where his father, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., was chief of the breast cancer task force and completed one of the most extensive studies ever conducted on the relationship between the heart and diet–proving that a plant-based diet can stop, prevent, and even reverse heart disease.
Rip serves on the Board of Directors for The Wellness Foundation, EarthSave’s Meals For Health Program, and the AllergyKids Foundation.