Rice and Beans for One

I’m going to brag on Louisa for a tiny bit before sharing her post today! Louisa has recently joined the food team at Chatelaine (Canada’s #1 magazine) where she has been writing posts and starring in super informative videos. It’s fun to put a face and voice to the writing! Pretty amazing, right? Now… Louisa is here to share another great recipe:

I got such a great response to my post on tips for cooking for one that I thought I would expand this with a series of recipes. My next few posts here will include a simple recipe meant especially for one person – let me know if you have any requests in the comments. Getting back into the kitchen is a great way to kick off a healthy spring and get back in the swing of things after that dreadfully cold winter. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite budget-friendly, simple dishes: Beans and Rice. 

When you’re cooking small batches of recipes, you’ll find that you’ll end up with leftover ingredients. For example, with this recipe you’re only using one cup of black beans, meaning you’ll have some leftover black beans in the can. You’ll also have some leftover crushed tomatoes. Having this in the back of your mind, it’s important to make a plan ahead of time about what you will do with these leftover ingredients so you’re not wasting food (and money). 

With the leftover black beans, you could make: Vegetarian Taco Wraps

With the leftover crushed tomatoes, you could make: Easy Spaghetti Sauce

This is one of those dishes that is really versatile. Depending on your mood you could serve this with chicken or a salad. Sometimes I even like to put it into a tortilla and have a burrito for dinner. This recipe for beans and rice makes enough for two servings, so you can bring some for lunch the next day (remember how important it is to pack your lunch?).

Beans and Rice for One
Guest post by Louisa from Living Lou

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. 

2. Add rice, stirring to coat in olive oil. 

3. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper (if using). Stir to coat and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. 

4. Stir in in black beans, crushed tomatoes and water. Turn up heat and bring to a boil. 

5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-23 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed and rice is cooked. 

6. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. 

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