Simple Brown Rice and Beans

Ingredients:
2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked brown rice, I used short grain
About 1 T olive oil
1 can beans of  your choice, I used red, rinsed and drained (about 15 ounce can)
1 can Ro-tel

How To:
Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add rice, beans, and Ro-tel (I drained most, but not all, of the juices from the Ro-Tel). Cook till heated through and serve.

Comments: I read a really fabulous article by Dr. Hyman about fiber that inspired me to try to incorporte more of it in our daily lives. I was surprised to read from various sources online that women should be getting about 25+ grams a day and men even more. However, we also had football practice tonight and my husband worked late, so I wanted to make something quick and easy. I came up with this very simple dish that was so good I did not even add any other seasonings. In the can of red beans, there was 17.5 grams of fiber and the Ro-tel added 2.5 grams for 20 grams total. In the brown rice, there was about 7 grams.

My husband said he would eat it every day for lunch he enjoyed it so much and our six-year old liked it as well. It is a little spicy from the Ro-tel, but not very much. ***If you don't have Ro-Tel or don't want to use the Ro-Tel, use a can of diced tomatoes and a small can of diced chiles--this was my original intent, but I did not have the diced tomatoes in my cupboard so used the Ro-Tel instead, which turned out very vell. Anyway, you may have to add a little seasonings with the diced tomato/green chilis combination and I recommend rinsing and draining the green chilis.

Vegetable Fried Brown Rice

2 to 2 1/2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice
1 small onion, diced
1 T sesame oil
2  eggs, beaten with 1/2 t soy sauce and 1/2 t sesame oil
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 T soy sauce (low-sodium) - approximate, to taste

In wok or skillet and over medium heat, saute onions in a little sesame oil until browned. In the meantime, beat eggs with the 1/2 teaspoon each of low-sodium soy sauce and sesame oil. Add to pan and cook about five minutes, the flip over and cook the other side (in one big piece) - about two to three minutes more. Use a spatula and chop into small pieces. Add rice, carrots, peas, and soy sauce to taste. Fry until cooked through, flipping if needed.

Comments: This was suprisingly better than I thought it would turn out. Husband loved --he kept asking me if I was sure it was healthy. Yes! As a side dish, this is probably 8 servings at least - filled an entire skillet. Maybe I made more than 2 cups?? Could have been three....