Simple Red Beans and Rice

Yup!  Beans and rice again!  There are just so many possibilities to feed my family of six for near to nothing.  When this package of red beans and rice mix caught my eye, I just had to give it a try.  Not that I was looking for a great new go-to option, but I just couldn’t believe that a pre-packaged mix could come anywhere close to being as economical or tasty as my homemade version.

The consensus?  I was right.  Not one of us was impressed or even liked the red beans and rice from the mix.  I didn’t make the kids eat it---and that rarely happens in our house.  And the leftovers?  Most of them got tossed.

I added some leftover ham.

The following week, I made my own version of red beans and rice.  There are two ways that I make this dish.  The first, that I’m sharing today, is very simple and frugal.  The second way I make red beans and rice, isn’t as near-to-nothing because it uses some pricey meat.  I will definitely have to share that one in the future.

Ideally, I would use one red pepper and one green pepper.  When I made this to take pictures, I used two red because they were on sale.  I was also out of onions, so I just did without.

The recipe includes hot sauce as optional.  I usually don’t put any in the pot because of the kids, but Robbie and I add it to our individual bowls.  If you do not include the hot sauce, you may want to add a little more salt.

Of course, when I make red beans and rice, I end up with a ton.  We ate them for dinner, froze some for another dinner, and refrigerated some for lunch.

Simple Red Beans and Rice
2 bell peppers (any color)
1 onion
1-2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 qts. water
2 c. brown rice
2½ c. cooked red beans
Chopped or diced cooked ham or sausage (optional)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
4 Tbsp. chicken or vegetable bouillon
1½ heaping Tbsp. paprika
½ tsp. pepper
1½ tsp. salt (more or less to taste)
Hot sauce (optional)

Dice peppers and onion.  Heat oil in large Dutch oven or stock pot.  Add peppers and onion to oil; sauté until soft and onions are slightly translucent.  Add all remaining ingredients.  Bring to boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer until rice is done, about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When rice is done, leave at a simmer and use immersion blender or back of spoon to smash some of the beans until desired consistency is reached, adding water as necessary.

I used a spoon to smash some of the beans against the pot
because my immersion blender died.

Soup will continue to thicken a bit as it sits.  Adjust seasonings as desired.  Yield:  lots!  (probably about 4 qts.)  Total cost without meat:  less than $6.

It even just looks better than the packaged version.

Beef Chimichangas

As I said last week, I’m in a Mexican mood.  So it was a no-brainer when it came time to figure out what to do with this beef roast I found in the clearance section a couple weeks ago—beef chimichangas!!

Final price:  $2.09/lb.  Slightly over my spending limit,
but beef roast wasn't under $2/lb. in my area at all
this winter.

About a year-and-a-half ago, Kimiko posted a recipe for oven-fried chicken chimichangas, which are easier and healthier than my beef ones.  But Cinco de Mayo is on Saturday, so I splurged and went authentic by frying mine.

Of course, in Near to Nothing style, I did bump up the nutrition and lower the cost by filling them with half fat-free refried beans and half beef.  That means I got twice as many chimichangas out of one roast!

To save prep time right before dinner, you can fill and roll the chimichangas ahead of time.  Take them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you are ready to fry them.  You could also choose to oven fry these according to Kimiko’s directions.

The meat can be made ahead of time too.  I made my meat in the slow cooker one day, shredded it, and refrigerated it until I was ready to use it the next day.  Just microwave it enough to loosen it up so it is easy to work with.  And this meat can be used in just about any Mexican dish—burritos, tacos, enchiladas…

Beef Chimichanga Filling

2-3 lb. beef roast

4 cloves garlic

3 Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. oregano

1½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cumin

Few dashes pepper

1½ Tbsp. vinegar

½ c. water

Place roast in slow cooker, fattiest side up.  Crush garlic over top.

My apologies for the fluorescent lighting pics.

Add chili powder, oregano, salt, cumin, pepper, and vinegar.  Pour water over, washing some of the spices down the sides of the roast.

Cook on low 10 hours.  Brush spices off top and remove any fat.  Shred meat.

Beef Chimichangas

Vegetable oil for frying

Flour tortillas

Fat-free refried beans

Beef chimichanga filling

Garnishes (optional):  shredded cheese, sour cream or yogurt, avocado or guacamole, hot sauce, shredded lettuce

Fill skillet with about ½ inch oil.  Heat over medium-high heat.  Meanwhile, warm tortillas to make them pliable.  On each tortilla, place spoonful each of beans and meat about 1/3 of the way from the bottom.  

Fold sides over filling, then fold up bottom, and roll closed.  

(Kind of reminds me of making baby burritos.)  Secure with a toothpick.

To test oil, toss in a small piece of tortilla.  If it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready.  Fry chimichangas 2 or 3 at a time—avoid overcrowding the pan.  Once first side browns, turn and fry other side.  Drain on rack, paper towels, or paper bag.

Remove toothpicks once they are cool enough to handle.  Serve with garnishes.

Bean and Rice Enchilada Casserole

Sorry, forgot to take a pic of the baked casserole.  Imagine this browned
with melty cheese on top and steam rising from the surface.

Cinco de Mayo is approaching!  I love Cinco de Mayo because it is just another excuse to make Mexican food.  Not that I need one---I actually cook a lot of Mexican.  But it’s a fun excuse to try new things.  I’m hoping to try a new Mexican beef stew this year.  And I want to make chimichangas.  Yum!

Since I have Mexican food on the mind, I decided to try a new variation on my enchilada casserole.  I wanted to make a meatless version that doesn’t require a lot of cheese.  So earlier this week, I cooked a pot of pintos and white beans, make a pot of brown rice, and threw together this bean and rice enchilada casserole.

It turned out really good!  Even though it doesn’t have any meat in it, it is still very substantial.  And it still provides a complete protein.  Additionally, the beans and brown rice add a lot of fiber that would be missing from more traditional meat or cheese enchiladas.

Bean and Rice Enchilada Casserole

1 large can enchilada sauce (or homemade)

Corn tortillas

1 qt. beans, drained (pintos, white beans, black beans, and/or kidney beans)

3 c. cooked brown rice

1 lb. frozen corn

6 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°.  In 9X13” pan, spoon a thin layer of enchilada sauce to cover bottom.  Place single layer of tortillas over sauce.

Spoon ½ of the beans over tortillas, followed by ½ of the rice, ½ of the corn, and 1/3 of the cheese.  Pour 1/3 of the remaining sauce over all and cover with single layer of tortillas.

Repeat:  remaining beans, remaining rice, remaining corn, ½ of remaining cheese, ½ of remaining sauce, single layer of tortillas.  Top tortillas with remaining sauce, spreading to cover.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

I ran out of corn tortillas so I used flour to finish covering
the top.  No one even noticed!

Cover with foil, tenting as necessary.  Bake about one hour.

Southwestern Refried Bean Soup

As you may have figured out by now, among my top Near to Nothing cooking strategies are dried beans, soup, and leftovers.  So of course I jump at the opportunity to combine all of them.  A few months ago I ran across a recipe for this bean soup in the church cookbook and fell in love with it.  Of course, in Near to Nothing fashion, I adapted it to my quick and frugal needs.

Because it starts with refried beans, this soup makes fast and easy weeknight dinner.  Of course, I start with homemade fat-free refried beans, but feel free to use canned.  You may need to add some seasonings if you choose to go that route.  When I make a pot of beans, I try to freeze a portion for this soup.

Four ingredients (if you count the water).  It doesn't get
any easier than that!  And yes!  The salsa had a clearance
sticker on it!!

Since there are six of us and I always want leftovers for lunches, I make a huge batch.  If you don’t want to make so much, simply cut the recipe in half or thirds.  Or make the big batch and freeze the soup in individual portions for quick lunches!

Southwestern Refried Bean Soup

3 c. water

1 heaping Tbsp. chicken bouillon

3 lb. refried beans

¾ c. salsa

In large pot, bring water and bouillon to a boil.  Add beans and salsa.

Heat on medium to medium-high heat, stirring often.  Serve with desired toppings (cheese, yogurt/sour cream, avocado, olives, tomatoes, chips, hot sauce, etc.).

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Ok, so it's officially not winter anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm done eating soup!  At the moment, this is my favorite!  I stumbled upon this recipe and I'm so glad I did.  I did alter it a bit, though.  Because it has a bean base, it is very inexpensive but is so full of flavor!  I've been eating it over a little steamed brown rice to bulk it up a bit.

Spicy Black Bean Soup
2 cups dry black beans
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp minced or pureed chipotles in adobo
5 cups water
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, diced (mine came out to about 4 cups)
3 celery ribs, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 cups frozen corn
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
6 cups water
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon
1-2 Tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Place beans, bay leaves, chipotle, and 5 cups water in a large saucepan.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low/medium-low; simmer until beans are tender (1 1/2 to 2 hours).  If necessary, add more water as beans cook.  Once tender, remove from heat and set aside (don't drain them).

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a stock pot or Dutch oven.  Add onions, celery, and carrots; saute until tender and slightly browned.  Reduce heat to medium-low; add garlic, red pepper flakes, and cumin.  Cook, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes.  Add beans with cooking liquid, water, and bouillon.  Increase heat to high; bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove about 1/3 of the soup and blend in a blender until smooth or use an immersion blender right in the pot to get desired texture.  Return to pot; add frozen corn.  Simmer until heated through.  Remove from heat and add lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), avocado, cheese, etc.

Bean and Barley Stew

So...I *may* be in the midst of a weight loss competition.  Well, sort of.  I'm part of the group, but am not officially competing; just needed to get a little motivation.  Anyway, since I started this 12+ week journey, I've been eating mostly soup for dinner.  I love soup, and I figured one pot of soup could feed me for almost a whole week, so I'm not always having to prepare two different meals (my family would prefer something heartier than the dieting me is eating right now).  Anyway, I have had some pretty delicious soups, including Sumiko's meatless comfort soup and the one I'm writing about today: Bean and Barley Soup.  I guess I shouldn't really call it a soup; it's more of a really thick and hearty stew.  I actually adapted it from this website, and I love it!  I used all dried beans and prepared them in the slow cooker ahead of time (some I had made and frozen, so I just had to pull them out of the freezer and defrost).  This makes this meal really quite inexpensive.

Bean and Barley Stew
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
3 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp chicken bouillon
3 Tbsp tomato paste
3/4 - 1 cup each lima beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans
3/4 cup quick-cooking barley
1-2 carrots, sliced
1 packed cup spinach, roughly chopped

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and saute for about 2 minutes; add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, and pepper; saute an additional 2-3 minutes.

Stir in water, bouillon, tomato paste, and beans; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add barley, carrots, and spinach; simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until barley is done.  If using regular barley, add a little extra water and put the barley in with the beans; simmer until barley is done.  This is one of those things that actually tasted better the second day than the first; the flavors had time to meld better.

Leftover Barbacoa Rice Bowls

Last year (almost exactly a year ago, actually) I posted one of my favorite beef chuck roast recipes - barbacoa.  Sadly, I haven't found chuck roast within my spending guidelines recently, but I did have some in my freezer, so I pulled it out and made barbacoa.  I love to make burritos out of it, but I also enjoy repurposing the leftovers.  I already discussed making barbacoa omelets.  Lately, I've been making rice bowls with the leftovers.  It actually extends the barbacoa, as you can use mostly rice and beans as fillers and just add a little bit of meat.  You also don't get the extra empty calories of the tortilla!  You could also replace the rice with lettuce, add salsa, and make a salad if you want an even healthier meal.

Barbacoa Rice Bowls
Steamed white or brown rice
Beans (black or pinto)
Barbacoa
Barbacoa cooking juices
Desired toppings (sour cream, Greek yogurt, cheese, avocado, hot sauce, salsa, etc.) 

In a bowl combine rice, cooking juices, beans, and barbacoa.  Microwave until hot (or you can reheat each individual item first); add desired toppings.  Eat.  Does it get any simpler than that?

A note on the cooking juices.  After shredding the barbacoa, I poured some of the juices from the slow cooker over the top of it to add flavor and to keep it moist.  I poured the remaining juices into a container and put it in the refrigerator.  When you do this, the fat will float to the top and harden, making it easy to scrape off the next day (it sounds gross, but at least you know you're getting rid of it!).  When assembling each bowl, take a couple spoonfuls of the juice and put it over your rice.  It will congeal in the refrigerator, but will liquefy when you reheat it in the microwave.  The juice is full of flavor and will make the rice super yummy and flavorful!

I know.  It looks pretty gross, but I wanted to show you how easy it is to take all the fat off.

No more fat.  Just delicious flavor!