Week of Rice and Beans

Hey girls...thought I'd copy and paste the recipes listed on the church website for this week's Rice and Beans fast. It will be interesting feeding kids for the week, I'm doing my best to find some recipes to keep in interesting for my family. I would love to hear some other tips and ideas you all have!

Here's the recipes Summit View posted (I will definitely be trying the sticky rice pancakes for breakfast!

Week of Rice, Beans & Water Recipes

Tips:
Make beans and rice following directions on item
Spice using one of the following: Tumeric (makes yellow rice), Cumin, Curry, Ceyenne Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes
Black Beans & Rice
1 medium onion
1 TB oil
1 c long grain rice, uncooked
2 c water
Favorite seasonings
1 can black beans
1. Sauté' onion in oil. Add water and rice. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.
2. Add seasoning mix & beans and cook until heated through. Mix well.
Red Beans & Curried Rice
1/2 c. dried onions
1 lg. can kidney beans
1 c. water
Red pepper flakes optional
Salt and black pepper
Simmer all ingredients for 15 minutes on very low heat. Serve over curried rice (see below).

Curried Rice
Prepare rice according to package directions. To boiling water add 1-2 tablespoon curry powder, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup dried onions.

Congri (Rice & Black Beans)
1 T Olive oil
½ Cup Dried Onions
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 bay leaf
1 (16 oz.) can black beans, including liquid
1 1/2 c. long grain rice, uncooked
2 1/4 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vinegar

Mix olive oil, onion, oregano, cumin and bay leaf in pan; sauté for five minutes. Add black beans, including liquid; simmer for three minutes. Add water, salt, vinegar and rice; reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Makes about 8 cups.

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

1 lb. dry black beans
8 c. water
½ Cup Chopped Onion
2 T Chopped Garlic
1/2 c. olive oil
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 c. vinegar

Wash beans thoroughly and soak in four cups of water overnight. Keep the water for cooking and add 4 more cups of water.

Combine all ingredients except vinegar. Cook on stove with low heat until beans are tender and the liquid has thickened. Takes 3-5 hours. Serve over rice with vinegar.

Sticky Rice Pancakes
Make sticky rice by increasing water amount by one-third (cook otherwise according to package directions).
Refrigerate overnight. In the morning form into patties or cakes. Pan-fry in oil.


Some of my own thoughts:

I was chatting with Lisa at church this morning. She said her kids love to munch on Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo beans) right out of the can for a snack. I have also seen this recipe that I want to try this week for munchies (I think I will try cinnamon instead of "spicy" for the kids):

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

After making a few batches, I want to stress how important it is to pat dry the chickpeas after draining and rinsing them; the goal is to get a good crunch to the chickpeas, and they will not achieve it if they are damp.

1 15-ounce can chickpeas

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1/2 teaspoon spice of your choice (I am keen on curry powder, chipotle chile powder or garam masala)

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Transfer to a large dry dish towel and pat dry.

In a medium bowl toss the chickpeas with the olive oil, salt and spices of your choice. Toss to coat, then spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

Roast for 34-38 minutes, checking them frequently in the last 10 minutes (you want them crunchy, not burnt :)). Makes about 1 and 1/2 cups.

Here's another that I found that I'm going to try: (I will substitute black beans or some the cashews and maybe skip the raisins/currants.)


Indian Rice Pilaf
Brown Rice Pilaf with Indian Spices & Cashews


If you think you don;t like brown rice, my guess is that you haven't tried long-grain brown rice. It's light and fluffy, takes less time to cook than the short-grain varieties, and, because it is relatively pale in color once cooked, you can serve it to small children and significant others without notice or complaint. The rice here turns a brilliant shade of yellow thanks to the addition of the turmeric.

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided use
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 and 1/4 cups brown long grain rice
2 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup cashews
1/2 cup currants or chopped raisins

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a medium saucepan or covered skillet. Add the spices and sauté for 15-30 seconds until fragrant. Add the rice; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in the water or broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed, about 35-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and sauté for 10-12 minutes until browned.

Remove covered pan with the rice from heat and let sit 10 minutes; uncover and fluff with fork. Transfer to a large bowl, add the currants, cashews and onions and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Makes 6 servings.