Starving Foodie

Beans. I like beans and they are good for you as well.  One of my quick fix meals is beans and rice.  I typically don’t use quick cook rice as I don’t like the flavor, but if you need a meal in a hurry, quick cook rice (10 minute type not instant) will do. Pair this with a good salad for a nice quick meal.  If you make large batches of salad, I suspect you could be start to finish on this dish in under 15 minutes after a few runs.

Ingredients

10 Minute Rice Like Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain Boil in Bag

1 Green Bell Pepper Diced

1 Roma Tomato diced

1/4-1/2 Yellow Onion Diced

1 Can Organic or Low Salt Back Beans

1 Package of Frozen Corn (or fresh corn0

1 Clove of Garlic or Garlic Power (to taste)

Black Pepper

Salt

Spices: One or more of  Cilantro, Oregano, Cumin, Basil, Thyme, Rep Pepper Flake

Method:

Get all ingredients out.  If you do not cook often, then make sure you get everything you will need in once place.  This is a very fast meal – less than 15 minutes start to finish, so you want everything you will need right there.

We are not going to saute anything.  We essentially want to steam the vegetables but to expedite the process a little oil will be required.

Cook Rice

Cook rice according to package directions.  Cook your rice on the stove.  Don’t use the microwave.  You need to be paying attention so if you put your rice on the stove it’s right there with the beans.

Cook Beans

In a skillet over medium to medium high heat, at some oil or cooking spray.  Use just enough so that food will not stick.  Let pan come to temperature.  If the oil smokes, the pan is too hot.  On my electric range with a cast-iron pan, a setting of 5-6 is usually good.

Once pan is hot, add garlic, onions, bell pepper and cover.  After about 2 minutes, add 1-2 tsp of water.  You essentially want to rapidly steam these veggies until they are tender.  I like them a little on the raw side to add a bit of crunch.

Now add beans and corn.  If using dried herbs and spices add them now.  If using fresh wait. Add 1/8-1/4 cup of the water from the boiling rice.  The gluten in the water will help make a nice sauce.   Cook uncovered for 5-10 minutes until everything is hot. Increase heat to medium-high if water is not gently boiling.  Stir frequently to prevent burning. If pan begins to dry, add more water from the boiling rice.

Remove from heat, add fresh herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Cover until ready to serve.

Just before serving, toss in the diced tomatoes.

Serving Size and Calories

A serving size is about 3/4 cup of the beans. Should be around 150-200 calories max depending on how much oil you used.  Rice 1/4 to 1/2 cup: 170-340 calories. So in total, likely under 500 calories.  If you really watch the oil, this can as like as 350 calories.  Do not mix the rice and beans. Simple put the beans over the rice.

Toppings

Add fresh sliced  jalapenos or bottled hot sauce.  Fresh salsa is very nice as well.  Cayenne pepper is nice too.

Time Savers

Buy pre-diced onion, peppers at the super market.

Use a mixed herb seasoning, like “Italian Herb Mix” or any other mix with Oregano, Basil and similar green herbs.

Spices

Learn to spice to taste.  This is a key to cooking on your own.  Specifying amounts of spices is really not very helpful.  The age, quality and variety of spice makes a huge difference.  Greek oregano has a more intense flavor than Italian oregano.  Fresh herbs have more aromatics than dried herbs but dried herbs can impart stronger flavor. Learning to spice to taste is key to excellent home cooked meals.

Fresh herbs should almost always be added during the last few minutes of cooking.  Dried herbs should be added early in the process so you can extract their flavor.

Fresh herbs are more forgiving since you can easily control the amount you use.

For this dish, I recommend fresh oregano and cilantro with a touch of cumin.

Leftovers

This dish travels and re-heats well provided you did not mix the rice and beans.  If you mix them, the rice will get very gooey.  By keeping them separate in tightly sealed containers,  you can easily store this 2-4 days in the fridge.  Be sure to get the beans into the fridge as soon as they are room temp.  Keep them covered after cooking.

Experiment

If you are unsure about herbs and spices, pull a small portion out and spice it sparingly.  Keep working with that small portion to try different amounts, different ingredients.  Once you find something you like, you can then try it in your main dish.