ISO Rice and Beans

[PanchoHambre]

Looking for some good ideas on rice and beans.

Have tomatos, onions, peppers and hot sauces and various seasonings.

red beans and rice

thinking to pair them with chicken legs for a cheap filling and nutritious meal for four

looking for some seasoning ideas and ideas on how to make this simple dish taste like something special witout fancy ingredients

[Robo410]

rice and beans usually have a pork base which bacon and chicken broth will provide. chili powder is natural with this.. chicken could be baked or broiled with seasoning. cook your rice in broth, sautee your veg and add beans and broth to cook those. with or without the bacon or smoked pork item, it'll be good.

[suziquzie]

I use kielbasa in mine.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums...ice-45165.html

[pugger]

We use a recipe w/onion, celery, carrot and garlic, some thyme. Not really fancy, you add teaspoon of hot sauce early on (we use Tabasco). Heritage of America cookbook. Use 2 smoked hocks these days. You can make as hot or as mild as you want.

You'll find many variations on this dish !

[PanchoHambre]

Originally Posted by suziquzie

I use kielbasa in mine.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums...ice-45165.html

oh next time I am totally doing that...

This time used what was on hand some peppers onions nice roma tomatos from the garden and chicken hot-dogs (totally forgot to defrost the actual chicken) threw in some (ok probably too much) hot sauce and dried chillis, garlic and oregano. I cut the dogs into pieces and browned them first to give some texture. defrosted a light chicken stock I had made for the broth.

overall the dish was good. I still cant make rice perfect though. Used brown rice (Ialmost always do) and as usual it came out a bit gloppy.

added some fresh corn on the cob and had a pretty god low budget dinner (actually no budget dinner becaue everything involved was pretty much left over or extra)

Keep variations coming though always nice to find fun variations for simple dishes.

[Treklady]

I have a vegetarisn daughter, so no meat goes in our beans and we do fine and dandy. So many poeple feel that have to season beans with meat to obtain flavor...oh so no. You just have to know what spices to add to make sure that your beans are flavorful.

I have some great bean recipes. Too many to count!!!

[vyapti]

This started off as something Goodweed posted long ago. It's one of my favorite things to eat.

Black Beans and Rice with Cilantro Pesto
Cilantro Pesto:
1/2 cup unpacked fresh basil
1/2 cup unpacked fresh parsley
1 cup unpacked fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime, juiced
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup almonds

Put the almonds in a blender and pulse to a meal, but not into powder. Toast the ground almonds in a dry frying pan, being careful not to burn. Mince the herbs and garlic and combine with the oil, lime juice, and almonds. Set aside.

Beans and Rice:
2 cups jasmine rice, uncooked (or 6 cups cooked)
3 cups cooked black beans (2 cans, drained)
1 tbs butter
1 tbs cajun seasonings
a dash of cayenne pepper (more to taste)
1/4 cup cashews, roughly chopped (or pine nuts)

The rice can be either freshly cooked or left over. Fry the cashews in the butter until they brown slightly. If using cold rice, add and fry until it is reheated, then add the beans. Otherwise, add the rice and beans and stir until the beans are heated through. Stir in the cajun seasoning, then the pesto. As always, this is kid-friendly mild!

Serve with piles of whatever: some combination of olives, tomatoes, avocado slices, guacamole, sour cream, etc.

[VeraBlue]

Goya makes a jambon (ham) seasoning packet. It tastes as though you simmered your beans with a ham bone in it. Since red beans and rice are supposed to be cooked with a ham bone, you can use this product and get the flavour without actually having to buy a ham.

[BreezyCooking]

If you're not into pork, another good substitute & one I use regularly is a smoked turkey thigh.

[VeraBlue]

Originally Posted by BreezyCooking

If you're not into pork, another good substitute & one I use regularly is a smoked turkey thigh.

Excellent suggestion...but are they budget conscious? Haven't priced them lately.

[BreezyCooking]

The ones from the supermarket are definitely budget-friendly. Two or 3 nice-size smoked thighs were $2 & change the last time I saw them (a couple of months ago). I have found market brands to be somewhat salty, so only buy those for seasoning beans &/or soup.

My hands-down favorite for eating as an entree on its own is put out by Burger's Smokehouse in Missouri. Fabulous, meaty, & smoky without being salty. Terrific with a side of buttered egg noodles & green beans! Unfortunately they don't carry them all the time, but when they do, I order them. Each large thigh is individually vacuum-packed, so they last virtually forever in the freezer.

[kitchenelf]

I have seen the smoked turkey wings for just about next to nothing.