Mexican Manicotti

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed
• 11 oz. can mexican corn (corn w/ red and green bell peppers), drained and rinsed
• 1 pkg. Rice-A-Roni "Long Grain and Wild Rice" (vegan, as far as I can tell)
• 1 pkg. manicotti noodles
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• cayenne pepper, garlic salt and lime juice, to taste
• 1 cup or so of jarred taco sauce
• green salsa, for garnish
• 1/2 bunch scallions (green onions), chopped, for garnish
• rice sour cream, for garnish

Directions:

Cook manicotti noodles in a large pot of salted, boiling water until "al dente". Meanwhile, cook Rice-A-Roni according to package directions until done. Next, saute garlic and onions in lightly oiled skillet over medium heat until onions are transparent, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in drained beans and corn with rice, season with cayenne pepper, garlic salt and lime juice, and cook until warmed. In a 9"x13" baking dish, stuff manicotti noodles with cooked rice/bean mixture using a spoon (similar to filling a penny or dime roll) and lay side by side (you will probably have extra bean mixture left over as a few of the noodles break). Spoon taco sauce over stuffed noodles and bake at 350F for 35 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed. Garnish with green salsa, scallions and rice sour cream and serve.

Note: A mixture of wild and white rice cooked with a variety of favorite seasonings would suffice for the Rice-A-Roni; it''s simply much faster to use a packaged rice mixture.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 1 hour