Puerto Rican Beans and Rice(Habichuelas Rosadas)

A meatless Puerto Rican dinner, this is full of flavor!!! From Country Living magazine. Add meat, if you like.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  cups water
• 1 3⁄4 lbs calabaza squash or 1 3⁄4 lbs  butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1  teaspoon annatto seeds (optional)
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 1  small  sweet green pepper, chopped
• 1⁄2 chili pepper, finely chopped
• 2  cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 6  fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped (or use culantro leaves, if you can find them)
• 1⁄2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can pink beans, undrained
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

• Cooked White Rice

• 3  cups water
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 2  cups long-grain white rice

Directions

1. Prepare Cooked White Rice: In a heavy 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 3 cups water, 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt to boiling over high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium; add 2 cups rice and cook uncovered until rice appears to be dry-10 to 15 minutes.
3. Using a fork, bring rice on the bottom to the top, but do not mix.
4. Reduce heat to low; cook 10 minutes.
5. Turn rice over again and cook 10 minutes longer.
6. Cover rice and keep warm until ready to serve.
7. This rice dish is somewhat crunchy in texture.
8. Beans: In a 1-quart saucepan, heat water and squash to boiling over high heat.
9. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until tender-10 to 15 minutes.
10. Drain squash, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid in a measuring cup.
11. Add annatto seeds to cooking liquid and set aside 5 minutes.
12. In 4-quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
13. Add onion, green pepper, garlic, chile pepper, and cilantro; saute mixture, or sofrito, 5 minutes.
14. Strain liquid from annatto into sofrito, discarding seeds.
15. Add tomato sauce and squash.
16. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened-about 20 minutes.
17. Stir undrained beans, salt, and oregano into mixture and cook until beans are warmed through and sauce has thickened again-about 15 minutes.
18. To serve, spoon bean mixture over Cooked White Rice on serving plate.
19. Enjoy!