Friends of mine who grew up eating “haystacks” asked for a recipe that would resemble that dish but which would be free of dairy and chips. The closet recipe that meets that criteria is a variation on a dish that my friend Grace makes. The rice and beans make a “perfect” protein and the other ingredients add both macronutrition and micronutrition. It is unbelievably tasty. Makes at least four servings.

Ingredients for Sauce

  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup whole almonds or ¼ cup almond meal
  • ¼-⅓ cup nutritional yeast
  • ½ cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup canned small white beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh is nice if you have fresh lemons)
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup basmati brown rice
  • 3 cups of water with a dash of salt
  • 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed, drained, and heated
  • 1 small can sliced black olives, drained
  • 1 cup fresh ripe tomato, diced
  • 1 ripe avocado, cut into small chunks
  • 1 cup finely sliced celery (or diced jicama to add more crunch), if desired
  • 1 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped (or lettuce or greens of choice)
  • 1 cup mild or medium salsa, if desired

Preparation

Place 3 cups water and a dash of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup basmati brown rice, cover pan and turn heat down to medium. Stir periodically until rice is soft and water is absorbed. Remove from heat when done and let stand, covered.

Place all ingredients for Sauce in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover, and allow to chill in refrigerator for about 30 minutes—while basmati brown rice is cooking. [Sauce can be made ahead as it lasts in the refrigerator for up to a week and freezes well.]

Place black beans in a saucepan over low heat. Add 2 Tbsp water to avoid sticking—avoid too much liquid. Stir periodically until beans are heated through.

Serve

Place ½ cup of hot brown rice in a large shallow soup bowl and pour ⅓ cup of cold sauce over the rice.

Add scant ½ cup hot black beans.

Place pre-served individual bowls on the table.

Each person adds ¼ cup each of the following (from small serving bowls on the table):

  • Tomato chunks
  • Avocado chunks
  • Finely sliced celery (or diced jicama)
  • Salsa, if desired (I often leave it off.)

Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top and mix contents of bowl gently just before eating.