Chicken, Black Bean, Rice & Veggie Bake

I made this for dinner the other night and LOVED it!

I was not feeling too confident...I have never put these ingredients together.  Zucchini and black beans?  In the same dish?

Don't doubt.  It was delicious.  And healthy!  I think it was, anyway.

You start by cooking the brown rice.  I love brown rice because it's so chewy.  It takes longer to cook than white rice, though, so be advised.

And then you want to saute the zucchini and onion in some butter...

and toss it together with the other ingredients.  Yes, I did use mushrooms...but next time I'll leave them out.  They didn't really go.

This is so easy.  And I used chicken because I served it as the main dish for dinner with some fruit on the side.  But next time I'd be just as happy to leave the chicken out.

My husband would miss the meat, but I wouldn't.

Chicken, Black Bean, Rice and Veggie Bake
Adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff

2/3 cup brown rice
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 T butter
2 small zucchini, quartered then sliced thin across
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, minced
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz. can chopped green chiles
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups (about 8 oz.) shredded monterey jack cheese
Salsa and sour cream, for serving

Bring the stock to a boil in a medium pot and add the rice and salt.  Reduce to a simmer over low heat, cover, and cook for about 40 minutes until tender.

When the rice is cooked, stir in the cumin and garlic powder.

In a medium skillet, saute the zucchini and onion in the butter until tender (about 10-15 minutes).

Mix together the rice, cooked zucchini and onions and remaining ingredients - except for 1/2 cup cheese - and pour into a 2 1/2 quart (or a 7x11) baking dish.  Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, until hot through and bubbly on top.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.