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In a previous post, I showed you how my Kirsten and I harvested lunch from her patio. Here, she talks about slowing becoming an almost-vegetarian, then delivers a super-simple recipe for making her favorite meat-free meal, beans and rice:
I, and the rest of my family, have gone nearly vegetarian without realizing it because of this beans and rice concoction that we don't tire of eating for lunch 313 days per year (on Sundays we go to the in-laws where they practically roast an entire pig for us every week, but we're working on that).
It's a very easy, and cheap, dish. You don't need to know how to cook, just how to turn on your stove. You can make it with just about any beans. Our favorites are garbanzos, black beans and lentils.
I buy dried beans to avoid ending up with 313 glass jars for all of those pre-cooked beans. It's still pretty mindless as long as you remember to put the beans in a pot with water to soak overnight. Then the next day they just need to cook for about an hour. Most beans need to be soaked overnight and then cooked for an hour or so on low. If you forget to soak the beans overnight, just cook the lentils since they don't really need to soak (I've thrown dried lentils in a pot and cooked them for a half hour or so and they were ready to go).
Ingredients
Beans (black, garbanzo, lentils, lima, pinto... I've never tried a bean I didn't like.)
Rice (I prefer brown, but you can use white.)
Onion
Garlic
Tomato
olive oil
cheese (I find feta and blue cheese work best.)
vegetables (Add whatever you like. Veggies like broccoli and kale have a lot of protein and work well.)
spices (You can be creative. I like paprika and rosemary. But curry works well with lentils, though without the cheese.)
Directions
- Soak dried beans overnight, as discussed above.
- Cook rice in a separate pot.
- Cover the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil.
- Add rosemary and paprika to the olive oil to infuse it with the flavor.
- Sautee the onions in the olive oil for about a minute.
- Add garlic. Let cook for 30 seconds or a minute before next step.
- Add a chopped tomato. Let cook for 30 seconds or a minute before next step.
- Add feta or blue cheese. Let cook for 30 seconds or a minute before next step.
- Add chopped vegetables and beans and cover. Let simmer on low heat for a few minutes.
- Once the vegetables are soft enough for you, add rice and stir in.
- Serve.
There is nothing sacred about this recipe. I have left out plenty of items when I had run out of one thing or another and it works fine. I vary the quantity of each ingredient depending on what I have in the refrigerator.
Video courtesy FairCompanies.com.
It's SuChin chiming in... I just want you to note in the video, how Kirsten actually forgets parts of the recipe... which just goes to show you really can't screw this up. On a side note, seeing one of your closest friends evolve from swinging New York City girl, too- busy-for-a-boyfriend-cause-I-got-a-career-girl...to I'm-Cooking-An-Eco-friendly-Lunch-Mom is kind of trippy!
More vegetarian recipes
Red Wine Red Bean and Portobello Ragout
Carrot and Lentil Soup
Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry
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