Sweet and Spicy Beans with Shitake Mushrooms and Brown Rice

I had fresh beans and shitake mushrooms in the refrigerator and that screamed Chinese food to me. I considered making this dish all spicy but I don’t make sweet Chinese sauces very often so I decided to try to go left (not something I do well … I am far too predictable).

My husband enjoyed this dish tonight and will be taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. If you like Chinese food this is a fast, no fuss dinner.

Sweet and Spicy Beans with Shitake Mushrooms and Brown Rice
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup of short grain brown rice
2 cups of water
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt

1 tablespoon of mirin
1 red onion, sliced thin
3 cups of green beans, tipped
3 cups of wax beans, tipped
½ pound of fresh shitake, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced (allow to stand 10 minutes so the allicin can develop)
½ tablespoon of fresh ginger, finely minced
2 tablespoons of agave
2 tablespoons of liquid aminos
1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons of cashews, for garnish

Directions:

Combine the rice, water and salt in pan with a lid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and cook covered for 45 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes longer (with the lid on) so all the water will absorb. Fluff the rice with a fork to serve. Don’t use a spoon it will mash the grains.

Heat a big pan and add the mirin and onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften slightly. Add the beans and cook for a minute or tow. Add the remaining ingredients except the cashews. When the vegetables are heated through add the cooked rice and toss to coat the rice with sauce. You want the to absorb the sauce as much as possible. As soon as the rice is heated through you are ready to eat.

Plate the rice, beans and mushrooms and top with a few cashews.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 274.29
Calories From Fat (11%) - 30.9

Total Fat - 3.79g
Saturated Fat - 0.45g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 642.31mg
Potassium - 289.57mg
Total Carbohydrates - 61.73g
Fiber - 9.33g
Sugar - 2.98g
Protein - 6.95g

Comments:

This is much more filling that it looks. My husband and I had a serving and I also couldn’t finish my dessert. On the other hand my husband had no difficulty eating two desserts (but he can always do that).

I decided to make this sweeter and less spicy but you can easily increase the chili and garlic sauce and get more heat into this dish. The dish was tossed into the pan to absorb the sauce. I wasn’t in the mood to use any cornstarch tonight and when you add the warm rice to the pan it eliminates that need.

If you like fresh beans and mushrooms I think you will like this dish.