Black Bean Stew

• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups black beans cooked, reserving some of the cooking liquid
• 1 small onions chopped
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 each bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• 1/4 cup red wine optional
• 1 each vegetarian sausage link, crumbled (optional)
• 1 x black pepper to taste
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, very old, sharp shredded

1. Prepare the rice in the water according to package directions or your own procedure (white rice is OK, but it makes for a bland and fairly gummy dish).
2. While the rice is cooking, combine all the rest of the ingredients except the cheese in a saucepan and simmer, at least 15 minutes.
3. Heat oven to 350F (180C).
4. Spoon the cooked rice into a casserole dish.
5. Remove the bay leaf from the bean mixture; pour the beans over the rice and stir; it doesn't have to be thoroughly mixed.
6. Top with the cheese and bake uncovered 20 to 35 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly.
7. Let stand five minutes before serving.
8. I tell people this serves four, but that's a fairly skimpy serving.
9. It doubles easily, but you'll need a pretty good-size casserole.
10. Also, the wine is optional for those who don't use it, but it really does make a difference, and since the other flavors are pretty assertive, I'd suggest using a fairly cheap, strongly flavored wine.

brown rice, water, black beans, onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, basil, ginger, bay leaves, red pepper, red wine, vegetarian sausage, black pepper, cheddar cheese

Taken from recipeland.com/recipe/v/black-bean-stew-5330 (may not work)