Black Beans And Rice - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
1 c. finely chopped green bell pepper
1 lb. rinsed, drained, cooked black beans
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 c. low sodium chicken broth plus 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped canned plum tomatoes with juice
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 c. cooked long grain rice
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish (optional)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; add onion, pepper and garlic.
Saute, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
Add beans, broth and water, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, oregano and hot pepper sauce.
Over high heat, bring to a boil . Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and vegetables are tender.
If mixture becomes too thick, add water to thin to desired consistency.
Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
Remove bay leaf.
Serve over rice, sprinkled with parsley.