- While the squash roasts, cook the ground beef by placing a medium - size non-stick pan over medium - high heat, and drizzling in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil; once the oil is hot, add in the onion, and saute for about 2 minutes; next, add in the ground beef and break it up with a spoon / spatula into small crumble; once the beef has slightly browned, add in a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, the garlic, the cumin, the cayenne and the cinnamon, and
stir to combine; allow the beef to finish browning, then turn the heat off, and turn the seasoned beef
mixture out into a bowl; next, add to the beef the cooked brown rice, the
black beans, the quartered cherry tomatoes, the chopped cilantro, the sunflower seeds and the orange zest, and combine the ingredients very well; add another pinch of salt if needed, and set the
mixture aside for a moment, keeping warm.
Stir chopped basil, cucumber, green onions, olives, toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds, and optional
black beans into the rice
mixture
Add the
black beans, salt, cumin, and chili powder;
stir two to three times to incorporate the
mixture and cook the spices, about 30 seconds.