Beans and Rice: Week 3: Crash and Burn

Okay, so we didn't really crash and burn, but our enthusiasm dipped and we did "cheat" a couple of nights. One night I walked  in on Joelie eating chocolate cheerios (of all things) for dinner! A couple of nights I ate Eden beans and rice in a can (which are actually pretty tasty with some salsa  mixed in). The rest of the nights we ate black beans and rice with Lizano hot sauce mixed in. Its a Costa Rican hot sauce that a friend gave us and it really helped! Anyway, onwards we go to our last week, though I do hope to eat beans and rice at least one night a week from now on. For simplicity and health and budget and yes, to keep present in my mind the many who eat beans and rice for every meal of every day. 

Tonight I made Red Beans and Quinoa chili from Feeding the Whole Family. I wanted to share the recipe because it's really yummy! 

1 cup dried kidney beans, soaked and drained

3 cups water, divided

2 tsp ground cumin, divided

1 TBLS extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tsp sea salt, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne

2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed in warm water and drained

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 to 2 cups organic tomato sauce

grated cheese for garnish

Place beans in a large pot w/ 2 cups of the water and 1 tsp of the cumin; bring water to a boil. Simmer over low heat, covered, until tender (50 or 60 minutes).

Heat oil in a 4 qt pot on medium heat. Add onion, 1 tsp of the salt, garlic, green pepper, the remaining 1 tsp of cumin, and the rest of the spices and saute for 5-10 min. Add quinoa and stir in. Add corn, tomato sauce, and the remaining cup of  water to tomato, onion mixture. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add cooked beans and second teaspoon of salt; simmer another 10 minutes. Top each bowl with grated cheese. 

As a side note, Amelia asked what I was cooking and I said, "Red bean and quinoa chili", and she said, "Oh good, I love neon chickadees." :) :) 

Oh, and happy happy happy first day of Spring!!!! Here is a picture of us in the back yard eating (summery) blueberries and reading blueberry books and just loving the warmish weather. We LOVE the book Peter in Blueberry Land. You should get it for summer reading with your little ones, Mamas. Thriftbooks.com or your local library!