Over the years, I’ve tried lots of recipes for beans and rice, trying to find one that is tasty, inexpensive, and easy — bonus if Lucy likes it. I’ve finally found what I’ve been dreaming of.
This recipe is modified heavily from the “Refritos” recipe found in “_The New Moosewood Cookbook_”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580081304/octothorppres-20. I suppose you could make it vegetarian again, but the bacon is just soooo good in it. Enjoy!
p{color:gray}. Photo: “I’ve got to practice my pouring and mixing skills, so someday _I_ can make this yummy beans-and-rice recipe myself!”
h3. Bacony Beans and Rice
white rice
2-4 slices bacon
1 onion, minced
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bell pepper, minced
2 teaspoon cumin
1½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
2 fifteen-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed
black pepper
chopped cilantro (optional)
hot sauce, like Frank’s Red Hot (optional)
First, make the rice in your rice cooker. I love “my rice cooker”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000ETXV94/octothorppres-20. Cheap, easy to clean, simple to use. I don’t even know how to make rice without it. You’ll need to cook two of those little rice measuring cups to go with the whole recipe. I often make just one, then I’ll make fresh rice the next day with the leftovers. We use that rice called “Botan” with the pink flower on it. So yummy.
Get yourself a good-sized pot, about 3-4 quarts (I use my Dutch oven). Fry up the bacon in the pan over medium-high heat. When it is cooked, set it aside on a plate lined with a paper towel. You can drain out some of the bacon fat (depending on how much you are watching your fat intake and how much grease your bacon produces), but leave at least a tablespoon in there.
Reduce heat a bit (to medium), then toss in your minced onion and sauté in the bacon fat until soft and browned, about 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, bell pepper, cumin, and salt — sauté another 3-4 minutes. Add the pinto beans, stir it all together, and heat through. Season with pepper and maybe a bit more salt. Crumble up the cooked bacon. Plate beans on top of rice (or next to each other, if you prefer) with crumbled bacon on top, and serve with optional chopped cilantro and hot sauce. The leftovers reheat really well — just pop them in a tupperware and nuke them for a minute or two when you want them hot.
that sounds fab! We are a huge rice and bean family (at least once a week) Maddy will eat any bean.
Have you tried Martha’s easy tostada recipe? It is from one of the everyday meals small mag. recipes. It is so easy and maddy and daddy really love it.
Sounds yummy! Here’s a bean recipe that we like here. These instructions are for if you want to freeze it and eat it later. What I like to do is make the whole recipe, serve it for dinner and freeze the leftovers for another meal later. We serve it over rice with cornbread on the side.
Denise’s Black Beans
1 pound smoked sausage cut into pieces
3 15-ounce cans black beans, drained
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper (I like red pepper myself)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
5 bay leaves
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours (or until vegetables are tender). Remove bay leaves. Cool to room temperature and freeze. This recipe makes 8 servings.
To serve, thaw and bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes. Can serve over rice if desired.