Honestly, everyone has heard somewhere, eat beans and rice if you want to eat cheap. Dave Ramsey says it all the time to people who are trying to get out of debt. I do subscribe to that idea for the most part, except that some of us who might be having some health problems cannot entirely subsist on those two foods. Nevertheless, here is my favorite cheap bean recipe. It can be eaten plain, over rice, with grated cheese on top (if you afford the cheese), with bread and butter or crackers, and even fancied up with chopped onion, salsa, etc. You get the picture.
I got this from my friend who has eleven children. She used to make it every Sunday, and still does sometimes. The leftovers are great for mixing into other bean dishes, and yet it is still tasty just heated up. If you have not acquired a taste for beans, try to. This is a CHEAP dish.
My Favorite Beans
1 Heaping quart of dried Pinto beans (sorted and washed to remove stones, dirt and defective beans)
Place in 5 quart pan. Cover cleaned beans with water to three times the height of beans.
Cover with lid and bring to boil. Then turn to low or whatever setting works on your stove and let beans boil gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours till tender. Older beans may take longer to cook. Just test them every 1/2 hour after the general cooking time till they are nice and tender.
Then add:
2 heaping tablespoons of chili powder (or more, to taste)
2-5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons of salt (Or more. I try to avoid excessive salt, but I think I may use more - even a tablespoon))
Cook for another 15 - 20 minutes. This will feed a good sized family, or a small family with leftovers. Please spice it so it tastes good to you. Obviously, if it doesn't taste good, and doesn't get eaten, it is a waste of money.
I add as many cloves of garlic as I can stand to chop. If it is a little bland I add more chili powder.
Garlic powder could be used, about 1 or a bit more teaspoons (to taste), but it isn't as good.
My sister tried this years ago and her family wouldn't eat it. I just don't think she spiced it well enough, because even my picky eaters will eat this. My friend says her boys beg for it if she hasn't fixed it in a while.
This is natural, vegetarian, easy to store ingredients, and healthy!
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This sounds ...ok. I will try it, because my Hubby loves beans. I am not much of a fan, but as you said I need to learn to be. Hopefully your receipe will help. I will let you know how it goes!
ReplyDeletegood luck with the new blog, I will check back often. (P.S. I found you thru lucy and the "Tea for Two apron swap")
I've made them twice now. Once as listed and once with the beans soaked. Both were fabulous and we eat them up. I do like soaked beans better but the non soaked worked great too. You can take some of the "gas" out of the non soaked beans by adding a little baking soda to the pot but go easy because it can make the beans mushy if cooked too long. It can also soften beans that are hard and wont "cook up" well.
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