Typically, I enjoy grocery shopping and cooking for two. Before my husband came along, I was only cooking for one, so my collection of recipes from the past ten years mostly require small proportions of ingredients. Usually this is not a problem, but there are several things that I really wish would come in smaller packages. It’s not that the ingredients are particularly expensive, but I hate to use just a little and throw out the rest. So I always save what’s left, vowing to use it in another recipe. This results in a refrigerator full with tiny containers of leftover items that linger for weeks, are rarely used, and are eventually disposed of once they are deemed past their prime. Chicken broth and tomato paste top the list. Black beans are further down the list, but their large cans are still a nuisance when I only need a handful of them for a salad or side dish. I have been on a quest to use up all the “little bits” this week, and this recipe conquered leftover black beans, chicken broth AND a slowly wrinkling green pepper. As usual, I turned to the garden for at least one ingredients – jalapenos. And after I chopped the vegetables, I noticed that they were very close to being in a smiley-face shape (I did nudge the corners of the smile a bit)!
jalapeno pepper, garlic, green bell pepper, onion
The recipe for Black Beans & Rice seemed almost brainless. A few veggies to chop, a few cans to open, a few spices to sprinkle in – done. I was very excited with how quickly this process went. About 30 minutes from start to finish. Until I read the last direction more carefully… “Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally”. Crap. Definitely wasn’t planning on the extra 30 minutes! Luckily, I usually take forever to make dinner, so Dan wasn’t realistically expecting a meal anytime soon. So I simmered.
simmering black bean mixture
Note: I added another can of black beans after I took this picture. At first, I doubted the recipe and thought it required an outrageous amount of black beans. But I asked Dan for his opinion and he sided with the cookbook. So, in went the remainder of the black beans. And eventually, they were done with their simmering party and we got to eat!
Black Beans and Rice
P.S. I only made half of this recipe, and it made about 4 decent-sized servings.
