MEXICAN BEAN AND RICE CASSEROLE

Servings: 6
Ingredients:

1 tb Oil
1 lg Onion; chopped
2    Celery stalks; chopped
1    Red bell pepper; diced
3 c  Red kidney beans; cooked
Enough liquid from cooking
-the beans to make a puree
6 oz Tomato paste
1 ts Cumin
1 ts Chili powder
1 ts Basil
1/2 ts Oregano
pn Cayenne, if desired
3 tb Shoyu or tamari
1 c  Arame; soaked (optional)
4 c  Brown rice; cooked
1/2 c  Parsley; chopped
3 lg Tomatoes, ripe; sliced
5    Garlic cloves; pressed

Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute th eonion, celery and red pepper
till almost tender.

Blend together the beans, a small amount of the liquid from cooking them
(about 1/4 cup), the tomato paste, the spices, and the shoyu or tamari in a
blender or food processor tomake a puree. Transfer the puree to a large
bowl.

Add the sauteed vegetables and the soaked arame (if desired) to the bean
puree and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the rice and parsley together.

Oil a large, deep baking dish. Place half of the rice in the bottom of the
dish. Spread half of the bean mixture over the rice, top it with half of
the sliced tomatoes, and then distribute half of the pressed garlic over
the tomatoes. Repeat the layers.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Delicious with steamed artichokes and a big green salad.

From the files of DEEANNE

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