• Add 1T tamarind paste to 1c warm water. Mix, and set aside.
• In saucepan, combine salt, garlic, ancho chiles, 4 cups water, and mushroom stems. Bring to boil and boil until reduced to 3 cups, and bright red in color. Strain, and set broth aside.
• Chop medium yellow onion. In stock pot, saute onion in 2T olive oil, until translucent. Add rice (and additional 1T oil if needed), and stir until rice becomes fragrant.
• Add 3c ancho chile broth and 1c tamarind water to rice. Cover, and simmer until rice is cooked. Water should be just under the line of rice - do not stir - take rice off heat and keep covered for 5-10 minutes to steam and finish cooking.
• While rice is cooking, saute chard and mushrooms in pan with olive oil until wilted and just cooked. Set aside.
• Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Set aside.
• Drain and rinse black beans. Set aside.
• When water is fully absorbed, fluff rice with fork. Add beans, chard, and mushrooms. Drizzle juice of 1/2 lime over rice. Serve with tomato halves and grilled nopales.

To make nopales:

• Clean nopales by scraping off spikes and cut edges of each palm off.
• Chop into 1/2" squares.
• Boil nopales for around 5 minutes, until no longer slimy (skim foam off top).
• Transfer to saute pan with 1T olive oil and saute until brown on sides (10 minutes). Add to rice.