Mango Black Bean Brown Rice (Print View)

A colorful bowl featuring mango, black beans, brown rice, fresh veggies, and a tangy lime dressing.

# Components:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup uncooked brown rice
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Beans

04 - 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

→ Fruits and Vegetables

05 - 1 ripe mango, diced
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
07 - 1/2 red onion, finely diced
08 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
09 - 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen thawed
10 - 1 avocado, sliced
11 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

→ Dressing

12 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
13 - Juice of 2 limes
14 - 1 teaspoon agave syrup
15 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
16 - 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
17 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

18 - Lime wedges for serving

# Directions:

01 - Rinse brown rice under cold water. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-35 minutes until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
02 - While rice cooks, dice the mango, halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the red onion and bell pepper, slice the avocado, and chop the cilantro. Set all prepared ingredients aside.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, agave syrup, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper until well combined.
04 - Combine black beans and corn in a small saucepan over low heat. Warm until heated through, approximately 5 minutes. Set aside.
05 - Divide cooked brown rice evenly among 4 serving bowls. Top each bowl with warmed black beans and corn, diced mango, halved cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, diced red bell pepper, avocado slices, and chopped cilantro.
06 - Drizzle each bowl with lime dressing. Garnish with lime wedges and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour and actually tastes like you spent all day on it.
  • The lime dressing transforms everything into something bright and alive, even on gray days.
  • It's naturally vegan and gluten-free without feeling like you're missing anything.
02 -
  • Add the avocado only right before serving or it will brown and lose that silky appeal that makes it worth including.
  • The dressing is what ties everything together—don't skip it or use store-bought bottled dressing, the homemade version takes two minutes and tastes like a completely different dish.
03 -
  • Toast your cumin in a dry skillet for thirty seconds before adding it to the dressing—it deepens the flavor in a way that feels almost like a secret ingredient.
  • If your brown rice tends to come out mushy, try using a 1 to 1.8 water-to-rice ratio instead of the standard 2 to 1, and set a timer so you don't overcook it.
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