I find lately I’ve been preparing a lot of beans and re fried beans, either with rice or in fajitas or tacos this can be tasty but eventually it gets boring, so i’ve decided to see how creative I can get with beans. This pie is a little bit mexican, with an indian style rice, and of course beans. You can make up the filling and pastrys ahead of time and freeze them although I would suggest freezing the filling and the pie pastries seperately.

Advance Preparation: Soak an 18 ounce bag (1 pound bag) of kidney beans in water for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator.

For the Pastry:

Makes 1 pie crust

1 1/2 – 2 cups cooked basmati rice
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 egg beaten
1 TBL Oregano
2 9′ pie pans
Cooking spray

1. In a large mixing bowl blend together the rice, cheddar, egg, and oregano then transfer to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on low just until the cheddar begins to melt.
2. Remove from microwave and mix well. Now generously spray the inside of one of the pie pans and spoon the rice mixture evenly into the base of the pie pan.
3. Now spray the bottom of the second pie pan with the cooking spray and press into the pan full of the rice mixture. Make sure you evenly press the pie pan into it until the rice mixture begins to come up and out between the 2 pans.
4. Now wrap just the edges of the crust with a little foil to prevent from over browning and place in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let cool in your fridge while you make the filling.

For the filling:

2 TBL Pure olive oil
1 LRG onion finely chopped
2 stalks of celery finely chopped
1 bell pepper of choice finely chopped
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 vegan boulion cube or 1 tsp vegan boulion syrup
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1 pound presoaked kidney beans
water as needed
4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 TBL granulated sugar
1 TBL corn starch
1 TBL cold water
1/2 cup of sharp cheddar shredded.

1. In a large sauce pan add oil and saute onion, celery, and pepper for 5 minutes, then add the chili powder, salt, paprika, bouilon cube, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and cumin, and saute until onions are translucent.
2. Now rinse and add the kidney beans, then add enough water just to cover the beans plus 1 inch, and bring to a boil.
3. Once a rapid boil has been reached add the crushed garlic and sugar, reduce heat and simmer uncovered stirring occasionally for 2-3 hours (you can add water occasionally if mixture becomes to dry).
4. Now wisk together the cornstarch and water then add to the mixture. Stir well to evenly disburse the cornstarch.
5. Keep checking and stirring until beans become nice and soft, now with a large wooden spoon or heavy spatula mash the beans along the side of the saucepan while continually stiring. Once half to 3/4 of your bean mixture is mashed remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes just enough to handle.
6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
7. Now remove your premade rice pastry from the fridge and fill with your bean filling. Top with cheddar and again cover just the outside edges of the crust with foil to prevent burning it. Now bake for 20-30 minutes in your preheated oven (you will want your cheese to be melted and slightly browned but don’t let the top beans dry out to much).