I was not raised eating a lot of beans. Refried beans (homemade) were basically a once or twice a year thing with homemade tortillas. Maybe. And then as I when I grew older, my mom “married up” and tortillas and beans were replaced with steak and salad, so tortillas and beans became a real rarity.
I’ve been better with my own family. We probably eat refried beans once or twice a month, but not a lot of other beans. It’s something I still really must force myself to work at. Hummus. Socca. Pinto bean chili. White chili. Those are good. Chocolate chickpea bark wasn’t bad. Black bean tortillas were pretty good. Ham and bean soup is really good. (I’m still wracking my brain trying to remember what we eat, bean-wise.) Taco salad. Taco soup. Black bean veggie burgers. (Well, almost never, but I’m sure you understand. As long as we have fresh hamburger, the black bean veggie burgers must wait on the sidelines.) Pinto bean fudge. (Another almost never. Not ‘cause they’re bad, we just aren’t fudge people here.)
My daughters had a bunch of friends over for breakfast one Saturday last month, and after chowing down they got into playing some games. Never Have I Ever is a crowd favorite. The goal is to knock everyone else out by coming up with something you have never done, but most of the others have. “Never have I ever been to public school” is generally a good one for knocking out a lot of people. They learn a lot about other people that way and have fun at the same time.
Well, I’m a prepper, and never have I ever made a beans and rice dish. Never ever. (Did I just knock a bunch of you out?) And I was a little scared of this one. I just didn’t think it would be all that appealing.
Well, at 4:55 one afternoon, it became very appealing. Ellie had planned to make dinner while I cleaned the house. Then Aaron called and couldn’t find the car keys anywhere. He figures he left them on his desk. Of course, for most people that’s a simple walk back to the office. But out here most of the mine employees work on site, a site that is about 45 minutes from the parking lot where buses shuttle the employees back and forth. Retrieving the keys is no simple feat in that situation. So Ellie immediately left to take Aaron the spare keys, and I was suddenly making dinner. And I didn’t want to make what Ellie had planned. It was time to give black beans and rice a try.
Black Beans and Rice
1 cup of rice
1 cup of cooked beans
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup ham, diced
1/4 cup bacon
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups water
Sauté the ham and bacon in oil for 2 minutes and then add the vegetables and sauté until they start to soften. Add the rice and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the water and beans. Bring it all to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Cook for 20 minutes. Serve.
I mostly followed the above recipe, but instead used the whole can of beans, drained, so about 1 1/3 cups. And I left the bell pepper in strips, not diced, because it’s easier for Aaron to pick them out. He likes the flavor, but bell peppers really upset his stomach. The peppers were freeze-dried and worked perfectly in this recipe. Now I want to freeze dry more bell peppers.
Family reviews: I loved this. So did Becky, and Ellie. Aaron didn’t want it in his lunch, so I finished it off. (Since there were no other leftovers in the refrigerator, I suspect he saw an opportunity to get a sandwich out of me, instead of the usual leftovers for lunch.) I will be making this so often. I’m even curious to try other rice and bean recipes.
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