Jamaican red beans and rice

I love red beans and rice (or any type of beans with any type of grain, for that matter). I also love coconut milk. What could be better than the combination of the two? Ok, I haven't perfected the combination, but the experiments are definitely worth eating.

Jamaican red beans and rice (adapted from Closet Cooking)

1 cup brown rice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno (whole)

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 can light coconut milk

1 cup water

1 cup cooked kidney beans (or 1/2 can)

salt and pepper to taste

Combine first seven ingredients (through water) in pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 30 min. Add beans and continue to simmer for 20 more min (until rice is tender and water is absorbed). Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 min. Remove jalapeno and add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-5.

This was good. As I mentioned before, there's still some room for improvement. It didn't have as much spice as I would have liked. The original recipe called for a habanero instead of a jalapeno, but I couldn't find one (Michigan isn't exactly known for it's spicy cuisine...). I should have minced up the jalapeno and left it in when I served it. Otherwise it was quite tasty. The coconut taste was subtle, but definitely there (and I think the coconut milk made the rice creamier). It's definitely a recipe that I'm willing to work on to perfect...