Coconut-Lime Rice with Red Beans and Mango

Y'all must know by now, that I jumped off the meat-train almost 4 months ago now. I've been rocking the veg world, with hopes to continue working towards a more plant-based lifestyle. I will admit, cooking for the family of carnivores has been a little tricky, but I think we are making it work! My husband is usually always game for meatless dishes, but we do cook up some bulk batches of chicken breasts, ground beef/turkey or meatballs so they can add them to the veg dishes I make on some occasions. Other nights, I eat a completely different dinner than they do, but the point is that we are still sitting down together as a family, which is what is important to us!
We are making it work!
Tonight, we knocked it out of the park with this recipe. HOLY HELL THIS IS GOOD!!!!! Honestly you guys, if you haven't heard of or tried the Thug Kitchen cookbook, you're missing out. EVERY SINGLE RECIPE we have tried so far is killer. Tonight's dinner was no exception!!! Dan said, "Make sure you post this one!" So, I obliged :)

COCONUT-LIME RICE WITH RED BEANS AND MANGO

Adapted from Thug Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grain brown rice
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1 cup diced shallots or onion
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 can coconut milk (DO NOT USE LIGHT! FULL FAT, baby!!)
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 mango, cut into small cubes
• 1 1/2 cups cooked red beans (you can also use black beans
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lime (I suggest adding half of the lime juice first and then adding more to suit your taste)
• Chopped cilantro (garnish)

Directions:

1. Rinse the rice under cool water. Heat oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the shallots or onion and saute until they start to brown in some spots, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger and saute for 30 seconds until everything smells choice. Add the rice and keep stirring until the rice starts to smell slightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk, broth, salt, and cayenne pepper and bring to a simmer. Give the pot a quick stir, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. If your rice isn’t done by the time the liquid is absorbed, add a little more broth or water.
2. While the rice is cooking, chop up the mango into bite-size pieces.
3. When the rice is tender, fold in the beans, lime zest, lime juice, and mango. Let cook for another minute or so until everything is warm. Serve topped with cilantro and marvel at the delicious creation you just made!