Caribbean Rice and Beans (and Soy Chorizo)

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I tried my hand at making some rice and beans with a bit of Caribbean flare. I made some rice infused with coconut juice and aromatics like ginger, garlic and thyme. The rice was fluffy and sweet and the kitchen smelled so amazingly fragrant. And then I screwed it all up by adding Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo. Don't get me wrong -- the end result was delicious. But not because I did anything particularly magical or imaginative. In the end, all I tasted was the spices in soy chorizo. I'm still posting this recipe because it was pretty tasty, but I suspect that you'd get a similar result if you just combined some plain white rice with a can of beans and some soy chorizo.

You'll need:

• 1 cup short grain white rice
• 1/4 cup coconut juice
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 package of soy chorizo, casing removed
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• salt to taste
• wedges of lime (optional garnish)
• chopped scallion (optional garnish)

Cook the rice with coconut milk mixed with 1 1/2 cup water and a pinch of salt. If you're using a rice cooker, more power to you. If not, bring a pot containing coconut water mixture and rice to boil. Once the liquid boils, turn the heat way down. Cover and simmer undisturbed for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes.

Begin by sauteing onion in canola oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, jalapeno peppers and grated ginger. Continue to cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Mix in soy chorizo and saute until browned. Once the rice is cooked, fluff with fork and stir in soyrizo mixture and red kidney beans. Serve with a wedge of lime and a sprinkle of chopped green onion.