Rice and Beans: A Family Favorite

Rice and beans has been a tradition in many Latin communities around the world for probably hundreds of years. Maybe they even knew that combining certain foods, such as rice and beans, created a complete protein. Many of us have chosen to make rice and beans a part of our diet today. What a great way to consume protein rather than eating fish,poultry, pork or beef. You can base a meal around rice and beans. They are very filling, satisfying and versatile. Rice and beans are very inexpensive also. So for large families or groups they can go along way. Certainly you can purchase pre-cooked beans and I do have them around for those days that I am not in the kitchen all day. But nothing can match a pot of beans that has simmering most of the day. This is why cooking beans is great in a crock-pot. Just put it on low add the spices you want and come back hours later.

First you should always wash beans. Add 2 cups of water to 1 cup beans. Place them in a strainer and rinse them completely, also remove and foreign matter from the strainer. If you do not have a crock-pot. Bring beans to a boil cover and let sit for 2-4 hours. Drain the water and rinse beans. Now you can place the beans on the stove to simmer for several hours. Add one cube of chicken bouillon, salt to taste and chili power to taste also. The beans can be served with rice, soup and or salad. There are so many variations for making beans, but this should give you a general idea on how to make a great tasting pot of beans.

Crock pot or slow cookers are my preferred way to make beans. You can just wash the beans and put your spices,beans and water in the crock pot on low. It takes 4-6 hours depending on what type of beans you have chosen to cook. It can be fun to combine different beans and also you can ad different types of meats,spices and flavorings. The nice aspect of cooking with a crock pot is you can start it in the morning and just let it simmer on low. It doesn't require much effort. Maybe you can stir it a few times during the day but some people do not even do that. Rice and beans can be eaten with tortillas or bread. We enjoy making our rice and beans into burritos. I like rice and beans with sour cream in my burritos. Be creative rice and beans is a great staple for all types of meals.