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Beans and Rice
This recipe for beans and rice is great to make on the weekend and bring to work during the week. It's also great for entertaining on a budget, since you can feed 5 or 6 people for less than ten dollars. It is a vegan adaptation of cajun rice and beans, similar to gallo pinto.
Ingredients
- dry beans, kidney or black beans preferred1 package (16 oz)
- onion, chopped1
- green bell pepper, chopped1
- celery, sliced thin1 stalk
- garlic, minced1 bulb
- bay leaves2
- ground cumin1 tsp
- chili powder1 tsp
- ground basil, ground1 tsp
- Olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- whole dried or fresh hot peppers, whole, dried or fresh, optional1–2
- rice1–2 cups
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 9 steps
Soak beans overnight, or, bring to a boil and let sit for one hour.
In a Dutch oven or large pot, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until onions are translucent.
Add green pepper and celery, and sauté for a few minutes more.
Add beans and enough water to cover all ingredients.
Add spices, then bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until done (1–2 hours, depending on the age of your beans).
Add rice and twice as much water to a pot (i.e. 1 cup rice + 2 cups water).
Bring to a rolling boil, and cook until the water has boiled down to the level of the rice.
Reduce heat to a light simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
Serve the beans over the rice and enjoy! It is also very tasty with cornbread.
