Last summer I discovered a deal on organic canned beans that I could not ignore. I exploited it every chance I had, returning from each weekly grocery shop with a loot of at least six cans of beans. I felt like a valiant super shopper; I would giggle as I filled up my cart. I imagined myself as a savvy thief, finding a coupon loophole and robbing the local grocery store of their organic beans at 12 cents a can. Not really. But I did always worry my well-researched deal would be rejected at the register. It didn’t. And I began to horde can upon can of beans. I had never really cooked with beans before. My culinary legume experience ranged from an atrocious split pea crock pot soup recipe I dreamt up after a heavy night of drinking (it was dreadful) to purchasing several varieties of hummus. Now I had a whole pantry full of the vegetable. That’s hindsight for you. Here’s a recipe that was cultivated that summer. I’ve never made it the same way twice, but when it’s served I always get asked for the recipe! Here’s a no fail formula for a deliciously cheap (and healthy) dish of Black Beans and Rice:

Ingredients (feel free to substitute)

2 cups of rice (any kind)

1 medium onion – diced or chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic – minced

2 medium peppers – diced or chopped

2 cans of black beans, undrained – you can use any kind of beans, but black beans will give you the best flavor

1 cup broth (any kind)

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

salt to taste

Cook rice according to directions. It doesn’t matter what type of rice you use because it does not get cooked with anything else. I prefer brown long grain, but I’ve used everything from minute rice to jasmine rice. Use whatever is available to you!

While the rice is cooking chop up your veggies! This recipe turns out best with:

one medium onion – diced or chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic – minced (I’m a garlic lover so I used two),

and peppers – diced or chopped (I used both a small sweet and hot pepper)

You can add up to another 1/2 cup of veggies if you feel up to it. Sometimes I’ll put in a little celery to give it a crunch, or zucchini to add volume. I would stay away from stronger tasting vegetables such as carrots and beets as they will affect the flavor too much.

Pour a little oil into the bottom of a frying pan, coating the surface area. When the oil has heated up (and not before!) throw in the veggies and saute until they have softened and the onions are translucent.

Other Ingredients

2 cans of black beans, undrained

1 cup chicken broth (that’s the red tupperware in the back, it is homemade but feel free to use any broth on hand ie. veggie, beef, bouillon)

TIP: Broth will spoil in the fridge in less than a week. Freeze it to use later.

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or more if desired)

1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

salt to taste

Add beans (undrained!) broth, vinegar, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin and salt to the sauteed vegetables. Stir until combined. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

Remove bay leaves. You can either scoop bean mixture over rice or mix it all together (which is what I like to do). Garnish with scallions, green onions, sour cream or greek yogurt if your heart desired. ‘Cause, ya know, beans are good for the heart and all.

And Dinner is served! I will usually serve this as a side if I am cooking for a group of people, but it is balanced and heavy enough to serve as a main dish. Enjoy!