Gallo Pinto – An Easy Recipe

103_1445My name is Lacey and I’m the production manager here at Rill Foods. The first time I went to a foreign county I almost starved. I was a meat and potatoes type of girl who was dropped into a spicy bean and rice world. I didn’t like to experiment so I lived off PB&J sandwiches and Washington State apples. I always turned down the platanos fritos and the fish that stared up from the plate with their heads still attached. But I fell in love with the Gallo pinto.

Gallo Pinto was everywhere we went. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it didn’t matter what meal, Gallo pinto was on the menu. Memories of flavorful bean and rice dishes stayed with me when I returned to the states. Two years later I became vegetarian and started to live off this meal. Gallo pinto (translated to spotted chicken), is extremely simple and a great filler for tortillas or as a side dish. You can spice it up with shredded carrots or finely chopped zucchini. You can eat it with Tabasco sauce or simply with olive oil and salt as I prefer it. I like to make a big batch of Gallo pinto and homemade tortillas at the beginning of the week. Throughout the week I’ll throw some into a tortilla with avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli or cauliflower.

The recipe I use for Tortillas can be found here

 

 

Gallo Pinto

 

You will need:

 

3/4 cup dried black beans or 1 can of cooked beansGallo Pinto with Williams Family Salsa

3/4 cup rice (Whatever type you prefer)

2 tsp olive oil

Optional:
1 Tbs fresh chopped cilantro

 

Directions:
  1. Soak the dried beans. Cover them completely with water and let them sit overnight or all day.
  2. Drain the beans. Then add 3 cups of freshwater. Boil for 45 minutes or until the beans are tender.
  3. Cook rice according to the package directions.
  4. Take 1/4 cup of water out of the beans then drain the rest
  5. Combine beans, rice, oil, and cilantro (optional).