Beans and rice in my house are a hit!!

[kathy003]

I finally experimented with dried beans and it was a hit with my family! Rice is also a new addition. We occasionally eat rice, but i have always bought the rice a roni chicken flavor. I bought white rice for the first time and everyone loved it. I am so happy because beans and rice look like they are easy to stock up on,, maybe this will save some money so I can stock up on some other things.

 

I made the beans and rice recipe in the book The Frugal Gourmet. I called for small red beans, I didn't do my research before I went shopping and come to find out I couldn't find small red beans at Meijer or Save a lot, so I bought Kidney beans and Northern Beans instead. Come to find out when i came home the small red beans have a sweet flavor (according to what i read on the internet) and kidney beans don't have much flavor. It didn't seem to matter since so many spices were used in this recipe and, my family didn't know any better so they loved it!

 

They loved it so much they wanted me to make it two days in a row,, I won't be doing that again,,,,, lol.

 

Now to find places to stock up on beans!

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Good for you!

Yes this is a basic food(s) that you can serve for very little cost and it will fill you up as well as give you a good warm feeling on a cold winter night.

 

And if you want to do like we do here, don't serve beans and rice all the time?

One time we will have beans and rice, but-

the next time we will have rice with beans!

[ScrubbieLady]

If you like the chicken flavored rice, here is an easy way to do it. One can of chicken broth, same can filled with water, same can filled with rice. Put into a covered casserole dish. Stir well. Put in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Stir and serve.

 

 

[Jori]

Glad the beans and rice were a hit in the house!!!!

 

I will throw a bouillon cube, beef or chicken, into the water when I am making rice for additional flavor. Usually coordinate with the protein we are having, poultry or beef.

 

I have a simple black beans and rice recipe that we like. I'll have to find the written recipe and post it. I have one that is a little more involved but haven't tried it, yet.

[themartianchick]

Isn't it funny how simple and tasty beans and rice are? In my case, my father's family is Bahamian and they eat a lot of beans and rice. However, my mom isn't Bahamian so we NEVER had beans and rice when I was a kid and I always hated white rice. My kids spent a lot of time in the homes of their Hispanic friends and were practically raised eating beans and rice. I didn't start making beans and rice until a couple of years ago. Now it is one of my favorite things to make.

 

I asked my mom why we never had it when I was growing up. She said that she had had more than her share of beans and rice during the Depression and always associated it as being poor people's food. The funny thing is that she will eat mine. I now believe that she didn't care for beans and rice because she never had it cooked with much seasoning, so it was bland and boring. My favorite way to make it is with brown rice,taco seasoning or cumin and add chopped up peppers garlic and onions. Oh, I also use whatever kind of bean I happen to think will look pretty in it on that particular day!

[Shoshana]

Good for you for trying them and that is wonderful your family liked them. We love beans and rice at our house.

 

Pintos and Black Beans are the two we have most often but I also keep Red Kidney Beans, Navy Beans, Garbanzo, Black-eyed Peas, Green Split Peas, Yellow Split Peas, and Red Lentils. I have favorite recipes that I make often but I like experimenting.

[DonsCountryGal]

While I was in the military, they'd serve what they called Hoppin' John...rice with black-eyed-peas. It's still one of my favorites. I've sometimes added a can of creamed soup - chicken, mushroom or broccoli - for flavor and creaminess.

 

Hmmm...could go for some this week...sure wish DH liked black-eyed-peas...

[Ambergris]

My DH keeps messing up perfectly good rice by putting beans in it and perfectly good beans by putting rice in them. CORNBREAD--crunchy, crusty, crumbly yellow corn bread--is the perfect soul mate for beans!

[Amishway Homesteaders]

....now here it is the middle of the night an dyou all are making me hungery!

Guess what we are having for Dinner on Thursday? LOL

[themartianchick]

My DH keeps messing up perfectly good rice by putting beans in it and perfectly good beans by putting rice in them. CORNBREAD--crunchy, crusty, crumbly yellow corn bread--is the perfect soul mate for beans!

 

Now, I can't eat either one by themselves...but I do make cornbread to go with my black bean chili!

[TurtleMama]

Our family's bean tradition is my great-grandma's way of doing it -- no recipe, you just throw everything in and season it up like you want it -- you put pink or pinto beans in a pot with a ham hock, water, onion and spices...then let it simmer AAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL day long and at the end, if you want, you can throw in some canned tomatoes. They simmer and soften and thicken up and that ham hock makes them taste DIVINE! We serve them with cornbread made in a cast-iron skillet. I love beans and rice, too, but I agree...beans and cornbread are my ultimate comfort foods.