Cuban-Style Red Beans And Rice

• 8 bacon slices
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups water
• 3 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 3 (16-ounce) cans red beans, rinsed and drained
• Sliced green onions (optional)

1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan; crumble bacon, and set aside. Add oil to pan. Add onion and bell pepper; saute over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute or just until garlic begins to brown. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add rice, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Place reserved bacon and bay leaf in pan; stir in water and 2 cans broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Stir in remaining can of broth and beans. Cook 5 minutes over low heat or until heated through, stirring frequently. Garnish with green onions, if desired.

bacon, olive oil, onion, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, longgrain rice, oregano, ground cumin, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, water, chicken broth, red beans, green onions

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cuban-style-red-beans-rice (may not work)