Beans and Rice

Beans and Rice (or Rice and Beans) is a nutritious and economical dish. Beans and rice have probably been cooked and eaten together since prehistoric times. Even before the beginning of the agricultural era, wild grains and legumes may have been cooked this way. Cooking the beans and rice in the same pot (after giving the beans a head start) is likely the original cooking method.
field work, guinee

What you need

* one or two cups (up to a pound) dried beans or peas (such as kidney beans, red beans, black-eyed peas, pigeon peas, or split green peas, or similar)
* one cup uncooked rice, rinsed and drained
* salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper (to taste)

What you do

* Clean, rinse, and soak the beans or peas in cold water for three or four hours or overnight. Drain.
* In a large cooking pot, combine the beans with enough cold water to cover them by two inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (approximately one hour).
* Stir in rice. (There should be between two and three cups cooking liquid in the pot -- if desired, the cooking liquid can be poured from the cooking pot into a bowl, measured, hot water added if necessary, and then returned to the pot with the rice.) Season to taste.
* Cover and cook until rice is done and all liquid has been absorbed (about twenty minutes). Remove from heat and let stand uncovered for five minutes before serving.
* Fluff with a fork, serve hot, as a side dish, or with any dish that is accompanied by white rice.

In Ghana, beans and rice is called wakye or waakye. It is served as a side dish with meat and gravy, fried fish, hard-boiled egg, or alone -- but almost always with Shitor Din. Baking soda is sometimes used in place of salt. A richer dish can be obtained by adding coconut milk at the end.

The basic beans and rice recipe is the distant ancestor of dozens of bean stews found in Africa, Europe, and the Americas, including Red Beans and Rice (Louisiana); Hoppin' John (Southeastern U.S.); Peas and Rice (Caribbean); Moros y Cristianos (Spain, Cuba, Mexico); and Feijoada (Brazil).

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Cabin Dinner

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
with liquid reserved
2 tablespoons tomato paste
hot sauce to taste

Directions:

1.Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute garlic, onion, bell pepper, parsley, chili powder, cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper, until onions are tender. Stir in kidney beans and some of the reserved liquid until desired consistency. Stir in tomato paste and hot sauce.
2.Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Add more bean liquid and/or water if necessary so that beans don't dry out.
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Caribbean Vegetarian Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup of nonfat Yogurt
1 teaspoon of coriander
3 cups of hot cooked rice
1/4 cup of peanuts, chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 tart apple, peeled and cored
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon of red pepper, ground
1 1/2 teaspoon of lemon peel, grated
3 medium bananas with green tips, peeled

1/3 cup of raisins
1/8 teaspoon of tumeric
6 radishes, thinly sliced
3 hard cooked eggs, halved
1 teaspoon of ginger, ground
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder
3 teaspoons of margarine, divided
1 can of black eyed peas, drained

Directions:

First cut the bananas in half cross-wise, then
length-wise to make 12 peices. Saute in a non-
stick skillet with 2 teaspoons margarine until
its lightly browned.

Remove to a plate. Add 1 teaspoon of margarine
to a skillet. Saute the onion, garlic, and the
apple until its soft.

combine curry powder together with lemon peel,
ginger, coriander, tumeric and red pepper then
stir right into the onion mixture.

Add black eyed peas, the undrained kidney beans
and raisins. cover, simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove from the hot heat, stir in yogurt. Place
egg halves on top of rice. Surround with sauteed
bananas.

Add black eyed peas, undrained kidney beans and
raisins. Cover, simmer 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat, stir in yogurt. Place egg
halves on rice. Surround with sauteed bananas.

Finally, spoon the curry right over the top with
radishes, green onion, cilantro and the peanuts.

Makes 6 servings.

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SIMPLE RICE AND PEAS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

Serves: 4-5

1 medium sized can red kidney beans
1 can coconut milk
2 cups of rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 table spoon oil
1 scotch bonnet pepper (whole, do not chop up)
water


Drain the liquid from the can of beans into a measuring cup and add the can of coconut milk and enough water to make four cups of liquid. Place liquids in a pot with beans, onions, garlic, thyme and oil, bring to a boil. Add rice and stir for a minute. Reduce heat to Medium-Low. Place scotch bonnet pepper on top of liquid and cover tightly for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked. Remove scotch bonnet pepper before serving.

This recipes can also be made using other peas.

Vegetarian Burritos Recipe

Provides the perfect protein combination....beans and corn. This is a recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant. (I've updated the # of servings...I agree with Longhorm Mama....1 burrito is reasonable serving..thanks for the input) The filling also freezes well. I make a big batch and freeze the filling in ziploc bags and then assemble and bake when needed.

by Ms*Bindy

1½ hours | 15 min prep

SERVES 12

• 5 cups cooked pinto beans (or kidney beans)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups onions, chopped
• 3 medium green peppers, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 cup corn
• 1/2 cup black olives, chopped
• 1 1/3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• salt
• 12 wheat flour tortillas

Extra toppings

• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup sour cream

1. Drain the cooked beans and save the liquid.
2. Saute the garlic and onions in oil for several minutes until onions are translucent.
3. Add the peppers and all of the spices and continue to saute until peppers are tender.
4. Cover the vegetables, remove from heat, and set aside.
5. Mash the beans with a potato masher adding enough of the reserved liquid to reach the consistency of mashed potatoes.
6. Mix the mashed beans, vegetables, corn, olives, and cheese. Salt to taste.
7. Preheat oven to 400°F.
8. Place each tortilla flat on the counter.
9. Spoon about 1/2 - 3/4 cup bean mixture onto the tortilla half closest to you.
10. Roll the tortillas from the bottom up, putting pressure on the fililng so that it will be evenly distributed and will reach the open edges of the rolled tortilla.
11. Place the burritos, rolled edge down in an oiled baking pan.
12. Brush will oil, cover with a damp cottom cloth, and bake, tightly covered with foil for 45 minutes.
13. Uncover the pan, remove the cloth, sprinkle with additional grated cheese and bake 5 more minutes.
14. Serve the burritos topped with sour cream.

Pasta Salad-Vegetarian

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c uncooked red kidney beans* OR 15 oz can cooked beans - drain & rinse well
• 1/2 c uncooked garbanzo beans* OR 15 oz can cooked beans - drain & rinse well
• *If you want to cook your own beans, see the directions below
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed & sliced thin on the diagonal
• 2 small carrots peeled and sliced thin on the diagonal
• 1 cup sliced green beans
• 1/2 red or green pepper, sliced in thin strips
• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 1 Tblsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup pitted greek or regular olives
• 1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, quartered
• Lacto-Veg Option: 1/4 - 1/2 c. diced feta cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tsp dried basil leaf OR 2 Tbslp fresh minced
• 1 tsp dried marjoram leaf OR 1 Tblsp fresh minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaf OR 1 Tblsp fresh minced
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp ground black pepper or to taste

Pasta Salad Directions:

1. Put 6 qts water on to boil, add pasta & salt, cook al dente, drain and rinse with cold water, set aside to cool
2. Heat 1 Tblsp oil in large frying pan on medium-low
3. Prep the veggies
4. Add the garlic and ginger to the oil and sauté 5 minutes
5. Turn up the heat to med-high, add the carrot, celery, beans & pepper
6. Sauté another 5 minutes
7. Turn heat to low, cover and cook another five minutes
8. Add the veggies to the pasta
9. Drain and rinse the beans, then add to pasta
10. Add the parsley, olives, artichoke hearts, and dressing
11. Lacto-veg: Add crumbled feta cheese if desired at this point (I assure you it isn't necessary)
12. Mix well, adjust seasonings to taste, cover and chill for later, or devour immediately

Bean Cooking Directions:

1. Soak beans 8 hours. Use hot water & change several times to cut soaking time to 2-4 hours
2. Drain & rinse the soaked beans, cover with cold water to cover & bring to a boil
3. Boil ten minutes & skim the foam
4. Cover & simmer for 1 - 2 hours, until falling-apart tender

Note: Double the amount of beans to cook extra, to freeze for future recipes. Using a pressure cooker greatly reduces cooking time, but don't omit the soaking! Cook black beans & garbanzo beans separately!

Cheddar-Jalapeño Quesadilla Salad

This fresh take on the traditional taco salad works well as a vegetarian main course.
Yield

4 servings
Ingredients

* Vinaigrette:
* 1/4 cup Dijon-Lemon Vinaigrette
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
* 1 tablespoon lime juice
*

Quesadillas:
* 1 (15-ounce) can black beans
* 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
* 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
* 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeño peppers
* Cooking spray
*

Remaining ingredients:
* 6 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
* 2 cups chopped tomato
* 1 cup bottled salsa
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

Preparation

To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 3 ingredients; stir with a whisk. Set aside.

To prepare the quesadillas, drain beans through a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 tablespoon bean liquid; discard remaining liquid. Combine 1/2 cup beans and 1 tablespoon reserved bean liquid in a small bowl; mash with a fork. Reserve remaining beans. Spread bean mixture evenly over 4 tortillas. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup cheese and about 1 tablespoon jalapeño; top with remaining tortillas.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Cook quesadillas for 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the quesadillas from the pan, and cut each into 4 wedges. Combine vinaigrette with lettuce, and toss well. Arrange 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. For each serving, spoon 3 tablespoons reserved beans over lettuce mixture, and place 1/2 cup tomato over the beans. Top each serving with 1/4 cup salsa, 2 tablespoons chopped onion, and 1 tablespoon sour cream. Serve each with 4 quesadilla wedges.
Nutritional Information

Calories:
389 (29% from fat)
Fat:
12.4g (sat 4.9g,mono 4.2g,poly 1.5g)
Protein:
20.2g
Carbohydrate:
53.9g
Fiber:
8.5g
Cholesterol:
25mg
Iron:
3.9mg
Sodium:
985mg
Calcium:
424mg

RED BEANS AND RICE

A lot of this is going to be trial-and-error, and it's going to take a little practice before you get it right. Me, I got good at it by making it once a week for over two years, and putting out an open invitation to my friends that there'd be red beans 'n rice at Chuck's place every Sunday (well, it was tough to cook on Mondays back then).

This dish holds a very special place in my heart. While I have many favorite dishes, and have had fabulous meals the likes of which come along very rarely ... this is tops. It's delicious, it's cheap, it's simple, and it makes me feel good. It's the number one comfort food in the world for me.

You'll probably want to fiddle with it each time you make it, and arrive at the exact, instinctual combinations of seasonings that you like. Feel free to alter this recipe to your taste, but don't stray too far.

You can make this dish completely vegetarian, and it's still really good; instructions are below.

This recipe is featured on pages 116-117 of the 2001 Frommer's Guide to New Orleans, for which I also wrote a bunch of restaurant reviews. Neato!

* 1 pound red kidney beans, dry
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 bell pepper, chopped
* 5 ribs celery, chopped
* As much garlic as you like, minced (I like lots, 5 or 6 cloves)
* 1 large smoked ham hock, 3/4 pound of Creole-style pickle meat (pickled pork), or 3/4 lb. smoked ham, diced, for seasoning
* 1 to 1-1/2 pounds mild or hot smoked sausage or andouille, sliced on the bias
* 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
* 1 or 2 bay leaves
* As many dashes Crystal hot sauce or Tabasco as you like, to taste
* A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
* Creole seasoning blend, to taste; OR,
o red pepper and black pepper to taste
* Salt to taste
* Fresh Creole hot sausage or chaurice, links or patties, grilled or pan-fried, one link or patty per person (optional)
* Pickled onions (optional)

Soak the beans overnight, if possible. The next day, drain and put fresh water in the pot. (This helps reduce the, um, flatulence factor.) Bring the beans to a rolling boil. Make sure the beans are always covered by water, or they will discolor and get hard. Boil the beans for about 45 - 60 minutes, until the beans are tender but not falling apart. Drain.

While the beans are boiling, sauté the Trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper) until the onions turn translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. After the beans are boiled and drained, add the sautéed vegetables to the beans, then add the ham hock (or ham or pickle meat), smoked sausage, seasonings, and just enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 2 hours at least, preferably 3, until the whole thing gets nice and creamy. Adjust seasonings as you go along. Stir occasionally, making sure that it doesn't burn and/or stick to the bottom of the pot. (If the beans are old -- say, older than six months to a year -- they won't get creamy. Make sure the beans are reasonably fresh. If it's still not getting creamy, take 1 or 2 cups of beans out and mash them, then return them to the pot and stir.)

If you can ... let the beans cool, stick them in the fridge, and reheat and serve for dinner the next day. They'll taste a LOT better. When you do this, you'll need to add a little water to get them to the right consistency.

Serve generous ladles-ful over hot white long-grain rice, with good French bread and good beer. I also love to serve grilled or broiled fresh Creole hot sausage or chaurice on the side. Do not serve with a canned-beet salad, like my Mom always used to do. (Sorry, Mom ... try something interesting with fresh beets and we'll talk. :^)

I like serving a few small pickled onions with my red beans -- I chop them up and mix them in with the beans. It's great! Why does it taste so good? As my sister's friend (and dyed-in-the-wool New Orleanian) Cherie Valenti would say ... "It's da vineguh!"


YIELD: 8 servings



Vegetarian Version

Follow the same instructions as for the regular version above, except:

Omit the ham hock (or ham or pickle meat), and the smoked sausage.

Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil along with the seasonings.

Add 1 teaspoon (or enough as you like, to taste) of liquid smoke seasoning. The vegetable oil helps replace the fat you get from the sausage, and the liquid smoke flavoring helps replace the smokiness you get from the smoked sausage and smoked ham hock. Be very careful with liquid smoke, though ... a little goes a long way and it's really easy to overdo it.

Spicy Four Alarm Vegetarian Chili Recipe

A spicy vegetarian chili recipe1 calling for hot sauce, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. For an even hotter vegetarian chili, toss in some minced and crushed fresh chili peppers. Click here2 for more easy vegetarian chili3 recipes.

Ingredients:

* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 onion, diced
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
* 4 tbsp chili powder
* 1/2 tsp cayenne
* 1 tsp cumin
* 1 tsp red pepper flakes
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 1/2 cups hot salsa
* 1 cup water
* 3 cups canned or pre-cooked kidney beans

Preparation:
In a large pot, sautee the onion and garlic in oil until the onions are softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, red pepper, salt, salsa and water. Bring to a slow simmer, and allow to cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the beans and simmer for at least another 30 minutes.

More Vegetarian and Vegan Chili Recipes:

Super Easy Vegetarian Chili
Vegetable Chili
Crockpot Chili
Crock Pot Barley Chili
Tofu Chili
Black Bean Chili

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