In this vegan black rice recipe, you'll find fresh bell peppers, oranges and wilted spinach folded into a nutty bed of forbidden rice, and adorned atop it a mound of spicy sautéed edamame finished off with a creamy drizzle of a simple lemon-tahini sauce - you gotta' try it!
Begin by combining the black rice with the water in a medium pot over high heat. Bring this to a boil, cover, and then reduce to a steady simmer (low heat). Cook the rice for 30 - 35 minutes. After that, remove the rice from the heat, and let it steam with the lid still on for another 10 minutes. Alternative: or read the instructions on your package of black rice, and cook accordingly.
Meanwhile, shell some frozen edamame, and then thaw them in luke warm water for 5 minutes. After that, drain the soybeans, and dry them off lightly. Then, in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of pure sesame oil, sauté the edamame with the garlic clove until the beans begin to brown and get more crispy, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add the chili-garlic paste and red pepper flakes afterwards, and continue sautéing for another 1 minute or so, making sure all the soybeans become coated in chili-garlic sauce. Remove the cast-iron from the heat, and cover it with foil to keep warm if your rice is still not done cooking yet.
Once the rice is done, add it into a large mixing bowl, along with the fresh spinach. Fold the spinach into the warm rice to wilt it most of the way, and then add the red bell pepper and orange, and fold them in as well.
Next, combine together the tahini dressing ingredients (raw tahini, lemon juice, water, salt and ground black pepper) in a small bowl, and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add more lemon juice and water until you achieve your desired drizzle-able consistency.
Serve the black rice on a large platter, topped with the spicy edamame, and a generous drizzle of tahini sauce. You can also sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds too, if you have them.