# Share your best rice and/or beans recipes



## fireliteca (Jun 7, 2004)

Many of us have stored rice and beans that we plan to use if SHTF but how many of us really have good recipes?I got thinking about this as I was assessing my stored foods and realized I didn't have very many ideas of how to use all the beans I have so here I am to ask for help Please.I don't think I'm the only one who has made this error fortunately the kids just moved closer and have almost nothing in their pantry and are willing to try more cooking methods.Thank you All I know you will help-fireliteca


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## Jacktheknife (Feb 5, 2013)

I will be watching for answers, I just started using dried beans and the like. Not a recipe, but I do like to stretch ground meat with bean purÃ©e. Great that way in casseroles and tacos.


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## Breezy (Jun 5, 2009)

Rice:
Leftover rice from chicken (or pork) and rice. 
Sausage, cooked and drained
Scrambled eggs
Mix all.
We loooove this! I add onion/celery/garlic when I make chix/rice. Sometimes wildrice, mushrooms. I usually thicken broth for the canned soup, occas. cream of mushroom. Whatever herbs I feel like. I throw in red peppers when rewarming the casserole, sometimes leftover bits of chix or pork. All good.

"Jumble-aya"
Rice cooked w/chicken broth
Add chicken, ham, pork or shrimp or all...or whatever I have.
Salsa, plus tomato sauce. 
Can of black beans. 
Mix all up and season. 

I can up my beans:
as Baked Beans
as Chili w/beans
as Ham and bean soup

also jars of beans: 
for refried or adding with rice/meat in a tortilla.*
for hummus/bean dip
for Cowboy Salsa (sometimes can this)
*to add for 3 bean salad.
to add to soup. (Minestrone, chicken chili)
w/corn, onions, garlic...side dish
for beans and rice

(never mind the bolded parts...no meaning, can't find the button to unpush whatever I pushed)


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## Solarmom (Jun 17, 2010)

i have found the best way to cook rice and it always comes out fluffy!

1-2 tbs butter
1c rice (white, long grain or jasmine)
2.25c boiling water


melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan that has a tight fitting lid
add the rice and sautee in the butter until it starts to change color a bit
carefully and very slowly add the boiling water
stir for a few seconds 
turn the heat to very very low
put the lid on
do not open the lid, or stire the rice

(edit to add- towards the end of cooking time, look in the pan, if the top of the rice is dry,and you don't see any liquid,just turn the heat off, put the lid back on and let it sit a spell.)
unless you like crusty rice  


15-20 minutes later............... Tah Dah!!!  

fluff with a fork and enjoy



Kris


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## Breezy (Jun 5, 2009)

Yum, love fluffy rice, right out the pot! With butter, S&P. I'll have to try it your way, once. 

Often enough mine cooks a crust on the bottom. I add a little water to that, let sit in the fridge overnight. I call it Crusty Rice...add whatever and pretend I did it on purpose.


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## Solarmom (Jun 17, 2010)

Breezy said:


> Yum, love fluffy rice, right out the pot! With butter, S&P. I'll have to try it your way, once.
> 
> Often enough mine cooks a crust on the bottom. I add a little water to that, let sit in the fridge overnight. I call it Crusty Rice...add whatever and pretend I did it on purpose.


i like mine with butter and soy sauce!


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## mpennington (Dec 15, 2012)

Louisiana red beans and rice - from Leah Chase, Dooky Chase's Restaurant - New Orleans

I make my beans in the pressure cooker, but they may be cooked on the stove top.

2 Tbsps canola oil
1 pound meat (I use 1/2 pound ham, 1/4 pound deer sausage and 1/4 pound andouille) cut into 1/2" pieces
1 sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts water - I usually soak beans overnight and use only 6 cups water
1 pound red beans
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley - or 1 Tablespoon dried
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme - or 1/2 teaspoon dried
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
steamed brown rice, for serving
Hot sauce, for serving

In saute pan over medium-high heat, warm oil. Add meat, cook until browned, 5-10 minutes. (Or cook on brown in electric pressure cooker. Transfer to plate.

Add onion to pan or pressure cooker, stirring occasionally until soft, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds. Transfer meat and onion to pressure cooker (if you have been using saute pan). Add water, beans, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, pepper, sausage and ham to pressure cooker or dutch oven. Add salt now if you want beans to be firm. Cover and cook on high pressure until beans are soft, about 35 minutes in pressure cooker, two hours on stove top. Reduce pressure naturally.

Discard bay leaf. Mash some of the beans against the side of the pot, stir to thicken liquid. Cook on brown in pressure cooker if needed. Serve in bowls over brown rice. Garnish with few drops of hot sauce.


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## mpennington (Dec 15, 2012)

I use bean flour (ground in my mill) to thicken almost anything - especially pressure canned items that need to be thickened when heated. Bean flour added to boiling items thickens in one minute, and is completly cooked in 3 minutes (so be sure to add at least 3 minutes before canned item has finished heating), doesn't clump like flour, and leftovers don't set up in the refrigerator. Also doesn't lose ability to thicken when frozen like cornstarch. 

I use any white bean, pinto beans, lentils and black beans. Baby limas and great northern work well, have a very bland taste and are not noticeable in completed recipe. Do not use flour made from red kidney beans as it is not safe.

When I want to enrich an all purpose flour recipe, I add 1 tablespoon soy bean flour, 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk and 1 teaspoon wheat germ to the bottom of every cup of flour, then fill up the cup with all purpose flour. This suggestion is from Clive and Janette McCay's, "The Cornell Bread Book."

You can replace up to 25 percent regular flour with bean flour in any quick or regular bread recipe.

I pressure can pintos, red beans, black eyed peas, navy beans, large limas for my pantry; much cheaper than buying canned beans at the store; I know exactly what's in them and they're in glass (check out Marilyn's recipe for sweet baked beans and savory baked beans in the online recipe book - they now have a permanent place in my pantry - yummy)

I use cooked beans to replace fat in recipes. One of my favorites is to whirl contents of a pint jar or can of black beans (liquid included) in a blender until smooth. Add to any boxed brownie mix. Don't add anything else. Cook as directed on the package. Don't tell anyone there are beans in the brownies until after they've devoured them 

I make my own instant beans for meals in a jar by dehydrating cooked beans, then storing them in mason jars sealed using the food saver jar attachment.

One of the most helpful books I've found is Country Beans by Rita Bingham. She has over 100 recipes that use bean flour. Recipes for pressure canning beans and numerous ways to add cooked beans to recipes.


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## Tyler520 (Aug 12, 2011)

Cuban Frijoles Negos (black beans)

INGREDIENTS: 
2 1/2 cups black beans, dried
9 cups water
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoons olive oil for sautÃ©ing
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 bay leaf
3 tablepoons vinegar
3/4 cup dry Spanish wine
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil (to drizzle over beans)

METHOD:
-Cover dry beans with water and let stand covered overnight. Drain and discard water. Place the cleaned black beans in a large 6-quart saucepan. Add water and olive oil &#8211; this will prevent the beans from foaming. Bring the beans to a boil, reduce heat to low,  cover, and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. 
-Do not add salt to the beans when they are cooking. Salt at this stage of the game will make your beans very tough. 
-You may also cook the beans in a pressure cooker. 
-Whichever method you use, do not drain the water from the cooked beans. 
Meanwhile, chop onion and green pepper. Mash the garlic with salt and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle. 
-SautÃ© the onions and green pepper in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add mashed garlic and sautÃ© another minute or so. 
-Add the cooked beans, oregano, cumin, bay leaf, vinegar, and wine. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. 
Some cooks &#8211; including us &#8211; like to thicken the beans by taking about 1 cup of beans and mashing them to make a thick paste. Mix the mashed beans back into the pot.
-Add additional salt and pepper to taste. 
-Stir in the sugar; then drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the beans. Immediately cover the pot, remove from heat, and let stand for 10 minutes. 



Great served over white rice tossed with lime zest, chopped fresh cilantro, melted butter and corn (optional)


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## fireliteca (Jun 7, 2004)

Thanks for the ideas All.Have a question though,Why is red kidney bean flour not safe?-fireliteca


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

I am sitting here scarfing down one of the best bowls of rice I have ever had. Its light and fluffy, has just the right amount of zing and is just plain ol yummy in general. 

1 cup of rice
2 cups water
1 cup YH's homemade salsa (my last jar of 011's spicey recipe)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon oregano

Put the oil in a medium sized flat bottom sauce pan and heat over a low to medium flame till hot.

Add rice... stir pretty much continuously for about 5 minutes until rice is a nice golden brown... it should be about the color of wheat straw, and no darker than wheat berries. 

Add water, salsa cumin and oregano... stir well, increase heat and bring to a boil. Once its boiling good, cut your heat way down, just enough to keep it simmering slowly, cover and let simmer about 7 minutes... then gently stir, just enough to keep rice from sticking and scorching... put the lid back on and let simmer another 7 minutes or so. You should have a very light fluffy delicious pan of rice at this point.... if its still a bit wet...let simmer another few minutes.


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## amandaleigh (Apr 10, 2013)

I make a mean Spanish Rice. It is good just like this or with leftover chicken, pork, or beef tossed in. I often cook a big pot of rice on Sunday and use the leftover rice in a few meals over the week. Most of the other ingredients could be canned, so this is great for using up pantry stockpiles. It is also high in fiber, protein, and nutrient dense!

1 chopped onion
1 chopped sweet pepper (any color)
1 chopped hot pepper
1 cups corn (fresh, canned, or frozen all work well)
1 cups cooked black beans (I usually use canned, making sure to rinse them well)
1 pint canned tomatoes with their juice, chopped
3 cups leftover cooked rice (I use brown)

In large sautee pan, heat a light coating of oil. Sautee onion and peppers until soft (could also add minced garlic if you like). Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, and rice. cook on low, stirring occasionally until heated through. If the juice from tomatoes if drying out too much befor everything is hot, you can add a few tablespoons of water or stock to keep rice from sticking to pan


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## mpennington (Dec 15, 2012)

fireliteca said:


> Thanks for the ideas All.Have a question though,Why is red kidney bean flour not safe?-fireliteca


Red kidney beans contain a large amount of phytohaemagglutinin, a natural insecticide within beans, also called kidney bean toxin. Eating raw or under cooked kidney beans, raw kidney bean flour or sprouted raw kidney beans made into flour can cause food poisoning resulting in minor discomfort to very severe pain, diarrhea, gas and vomitting.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Just saw this thread, and so glad I did! Some rice and beans are in our future. 

We started eating much more brown rice when we got a rice steamer, could never get it quite right on the stove. Now we have lots of leftover rice! I freeze rice in 1 cup portions for when I have no lunch ready. Rice, any veggies and thai sweet chili sauce. DH often heats up left over rice in a skillet and pours on the sweet chili sauce for lunch. I'm stockpiling sweet chili sauce for when SHTF. 

Dumb question, how do you make bean flour? Whiz up raw beans? Would love it as a thickener.


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## okiemomof3 (Jan 11, 2010)

we eat beans and rice lots of different ways: 
spanish rice to go with beans, cornbread, and taters
regular rice as a side or served with bourbon chicken

as an actual meal itself we love, love love:
Cuban Black Beans and Rice

1 T. olive oil
1 med. onion, diced 
1 small carrot, grated (optional) 

1 finely diced Bell pepper, red or orange is best (optional) (i have used dehydrated and works great)
2 cloves garlic, mined (or 2 t. garlic powder)
1 t. chili powder or cumin (I prefer cumin)
one package of Kielbasa, diced
2 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed (i use home canned
1 can (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes ,drained (or fresh tomatoes)
salt and pepper to taste
Chicken broth if needed. (I always add some)

SautÃ© the onion, carrot, peppers, and kielbasa over medium heat in olive oil for 5-7 minutes or until onion is soft and meat is lightly browned and caramelized. Add beans and tomatoes and rest of seasonings and cook for 10-15 minutes to combine flavors. Serve over cooked rice. We add shredded colby cheese on top also. this reheats great!


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## mpennington (Dec 15, 2012)

Vosey said:


> Just saw this thread, and so glad I did! Some rice and beans are in our future.
> 
> We started eating much more brown rice when we got a rice steamer, could never get it quite right on the stove. Now we have lots of leftover rice! I freeze rice in 1 cup portions for when I have no lunch ready. Rice, any veggies and thai sweet chili sauce. DH often heats up left over rice in a skillet and pours on the sweet chili sauce for lunch. I'm stockpiling sweet chili sauce for when SHTF.
> 
> Dumb question, how do you make bean flour? Whiz up raw beans? Would love it as a thickener.



There are no dumb questions  and you are correct, just whiz up raw beans. I used my Vita Mix until I had a grain/bean mill, but much prefer using my Wonder Mill which is much quieter, quicker and more efficient. If you do use a blender, sift the resulting bean flour to remove any cracked bits as these will not cook in the amout of time required for thickening.

Other neat ways to use the bean flour from "Country Beans" by Rita Bingham are as almost instant soups and mashed beans for burritoes. To make quick bean flour soup, stir 2 tablespoons bean flour into 1 cup seasoned hot water for a thin soup, 3 T for a medium thick soup and 4-5 T for thick soup, stew or gravy. Cook in microwave on full power for 1 minute or until mixture boils. Stir well and cook an additional 2 minutes. 

For quick mashed beans, use 1 cup water and 1/2 cup bean flour. Boil water in pan on stovetop, stir in bean flour, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Last night's bedtime reading was a Martha Rose Shulman cookbook (I think her best of her NYT column). She does fantastic mediterranean dishes.

There's a whole chapter on rice dishes as main courses. Mostly veggies mixed with cooked rice, eggs and milk, little cheese on top and baked in the oven. Looked very family/kid friendly. I'll let you know how they are once I make one.

And then she mixes beans with veggies in many recipes. For instance, swiss chard, white beans and potatoes with the potatoes slightly broken up or sauteed peppers and black eyed peas. A great way to add more nutrients to a side dish and fill you up!


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## mpennington (Dec 15, 2012)

Vosey said:


> Last night's bedtime reading was a Martha Rose Shulman cookbook (I think her best of her NYT column). She does fantastic mediterranean dishes.
> 
> There's a whole chapter on rice dishes as main courses. Mostly veggies mixed with cooked rice, eggs and milk, little cheese on top and baked in the oven. Looked very family/kid friendly. I'll let you know how they are once I make one.
> 
> And then she mixes beans with veggies in many recipes. For instance, swiss chard, white beans and potatoes with the potatoes slightly broken up or sauteed peppers and black eyed peas. A great way to add more nutrients to a side dish and fill you up!


Love Martha Rose's cookbooks too. I have most of them. Her Light Basics has a good chapter on Grains, Beans, Vegetables and Tofu. For those who like to serf the web for recipes, check out her site @ www.martha-rose-shulman.com/archives.htm or her recipes for New York Times @ http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/category/eat-well/recipes-for-health/ She has some interesting recipes in her article, Rice, No Bowl Needed; included are rice blinis, a rice gratin, a rice frittata, and chard leaves stuffed with rice.

My favorite bedtime reading is cookbooks.


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