What's for dinner? Was it "budget"?

[pigletto]

I am just too curious about this Red Beans and Rice I see people mentioning all the time!
Obviously I have never tried it.. but it sounds like a great budget meal and flavors I would enjoy.
Would anyone mind posting there recipe or pm'ing it to me?
Also if there is a way it would work in a slow cooker that would be great as I love to put things on in the morning when I have lots of energy and dinner is ready when I am too tired to cook.
Thanks guys

 

[Metro West]

Peppercorn steaks on the grill and they were already paid for!

 

[rentayenta]

It was raining all day and 55* which was a pleasant change from the high 90's we have been seeing. I made chili with French bread. It was budget and delish and I have lunch for tomorrow.

 

[cndij]

I'm sure there are all kinds of variations and mine varies depending on what I have on hand, but here are the basics:

1# bag of small red beans, sorted and rinsed, soak overnight in water covered to twice the depth of the beans. Rinse the next morning and put in large pot 8-10 quart, covered in twice depth water again. I cook about an hour and then add 1 tsp minced garlic, salt, pepper, 1 onion chopped, 2 fresh tomatoes chopped (or one can diced), 1# pack of smoked sausage (Kielbasa or Cajun spiced) sliced to about 1/4" or less. I cook on medium for about 3 hours (or can use crock pot all day)
and after 3 hours dump in a cup of rice and cook another half hour-45 minutes or until beans are tender. I like to throw in some Zatarains or Tony Cachere cajun seasoning, and sprinkle on some tabasco on my plate.

Some people add celery and/or bell pepper as well.

If you cook in a crockpot, I recommend cooking the rice separate and mixing it in right before serving.

I am just too curious about this Red Beans and Rice I see people mentioning all the time!
Obviously I have never tried it.. but it sounds like a great budget meal and flavors I would enjoy.
Would anyone mind posting there recipe or pm'ing it to me?
.
Thanks guys

 

[Kycha]

Tonight we had spaghetti and meatballs. I made enough for tonight plus leftovers and 3 meals in the freezer for later in the month. Not bad for around $10.
$3 ground beef
$2 italian sausage
$2 ground pork
$1 tomato puree
$1 diced tomatoes
.50 onions and garlic
.50 spaghetti

 

[Kycha]

I'm sure there are all kinds of variations and mine varies depending on what I have on hand, but here are the basics:

1# bag of small red beans, sorted and rinsed, soak overnight in water covered to twice the depth of the beans. Rinse the next morning and put in large pot 8-10 quart, covered in twice depth water again. I cook about an hour and then add 1 tsp minced garlic, salt, pepper, 1 onion chopped, 2 fresh tomatoes chopped (or one can diced), 1# pack of smoked sausage (Kielbasa or Cajun spiced) sliced to about 1/4" or less. I cook on medium for about 3 hours (or can use crock pot all day)
and after 3 hours dump in a cup of rice and cook another half hour-45 minutes or until beans are tender. I like to throw in some Zatarains or Tony Cachere cajun seasoning, and sprinkle on some tabasco on my plate.

Some people add celery and/or bell pepper as well.

If you cook in a crockpot, I recommend cooking the rice separate and mixing it in right before serving.

Have you tried differeant variations of this? I would love to make some beans and rice, but can't stand red beans. Would it taste alright with white beans or great northern beans? Also, I'm not a fan of smoked sausage. How would regular sausage taste instead?

 

[wickywinn]

One of our favorites is black beans and rice. I buy the dry ones and soak overnight. Around 4:30-5 the next day I bring them to a boil with some onion, garlic, fresh cilantro and seasonings (cumin, salt, pepper, etc). I ladle them onto yellow saffron rice (the foil packet) and dollop sour cream and shredded monterrey jack (or cheddar mix) on top. My kids lap it up.

 

[Kycha]

One of our favorites is black beans and rice. I buy the dry ones and soak overnight. Around 4:30-5 the next day I bring them to a boil with some onion, garlic, fresh cilantro and seasonings (cumin, salt, pepper, etc). I ladle them onto yellow saffron rice (the foil packet) and dollop sour cream and shredded monterrey jack (or cheddar mix) on top. My kids lap it up.

OMG! I'm drooling just reading this. Okay...does anyone else have a problem softening dry beans? Every time I soak beans, they just never seem to get soft. Maybe it's the beans I'm buying??? I get the ones at the grocery store. I've even tried different soaking methods...the overnight soak and the quick soak. Could it be because I have hard water?

 

[cndij]

Some of the recipes on Recipezaar use ham instead of sausage, so yeah, you could vary it anyway you want. I have used a leftover hambone to season the red beans or black beans too. I haven't used white beans yet, but just bought some the other day.

Also on the beans not softening issue, I have read that if your beans are older/not fresh (you wouldn't think this would be a problem with dried beans) that sometimes they won't ever cook tender. Maybe you should look for a store that sells from bulk bins and has a lot of turnover to make sure they are fairly new. Also, it does take a LONG time to cook them. Probably at least 4 hours to make them really soft. I know in our area most people cook pinto beans all day long. I think the type of beans is a regional thing. I live in NC now and pinto beans is the common theme. Growing up in S. Georgia, black eyed peas were the dry bean of choice.

Have you tried differeant variations of this? I would love to make some beans and rice, but can't stand red beans. Would it taste alright with white beans or great northern beans? Also, I'm not a fan of smoked sausage. How would regular sausage taste instead?

 

[bdcp]

OMG! I'm drooling just reading this. Okay...does anyone else have a problem softening dry beans? Every time I soak beans, they just never seem to get soft. Maybe it's the beans I'm buying??? I get the ones at the grocery store. I've even tried different soaking methods...the overnight soak and the quick soak. Could it be because I have hard water?

Hard water makes no difference to beans. You don't have to soak beans. They will soften up as they cook, it just takes a little longer. Also, soaking them doesn't make them "soft". It makes them absorb water and until cooked will not be soft. Soaking them just shortens the cooking time.

 

[Kycha]

Hard water makes no difference to beans. You don't have to soak beans. They will soften up as they cook, it just takes a little longer. Also, soaking them doesn't make them "soft". It makes them absorb water and until cooked will not be soft. Soaking them just shortens the cooking time.

Well, whatever I do, soaking or cooking, doesn't soften the beans. I have cooked my beans for hours and hours and still, they come out al dente. And according to a google search I did, hard water can affect how tender your beans get.

http://www.centralbean.com/storeandsoak.html


Hard Water If you consistently have problems cooking beans to the desired tenderness within the specified cooking times, it is possible you have hard water. Another sign of hard water is the appearance of a thick white or gray residue on the inside of your teakettle every time you boil water. This is caused by the presence of excessive amounts of certain minerals. High concentrations of these minerals interfere with chemical and physical changes that are supposed to occur in beans during soaking and cooking

 

[rentayenta]

Dinner tonight will be leftovers! Steak, baked potatoes (now mashed), and veggies (not leftover). VERY budget.

 

[tonilea]

OMG! I'm drooling just reading this. Okay...does anyone else have a problem softening dry beans? Every time I soak beans, they just never seem to get soft. Maybe it's the beans I'm buying??? I get the ones at the grocery store. I've even tried different soaking methods...the overnight soak and the quick soak. Could it be because I have hard water?

Beans that are old can be very hard too. Really it would be a simple fix, just buy a gallon of drinking water to cook your dried beans.

 

[Sorsha]

Dinner tonight will be leftovers! Steak, baked potatoes (now mashed), and veggies (not leftover). VERY budget.

Leftovers tonight here too!
Its one of those nights when I take all the tupperware containers of leftovers out of the fridge, line them all up on the counter, and let people choose what they want. Hmmmm.... what's in there.... chicken-fried steak, spinach-and-artichoke stuffed chicken breasts, hot dogs, au gratin potatoes, noodles with parmesan sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and mixxed veggies, peas, and half a bag of green salad.
I think I need to invite over more people....

 

[tonilea]

Dinner was super cheap tonight. Creamy stuffed shells w/ green beans. The shell filling was left over, so no new cost. Shells were $1.32. And the green beans were free - well, I did help Mom and Dad can them..

 

[donnabc]

Home made mac and cheese (.25 noodles, 1.00 cheese) = 1.25
Fish sticks (1 box of 10 @ $3.79) = $3.79
Green Beans (1 can @ .69) = .69
Crecent Rolls (1 can @ $2) = $2.00
TOTAL for 4 people = $7.73 or $1.93 per person

tomorrows' menu
Mashed potatoes (2 packs at .75 each) = 1.50
Grilled turkey patties with gravy (2.50 turkey + 1.00 gravy) = 3.50
candied carrots ($2.00) = $2.00
bisquick biscuits (@$1.00) = $1.00
TOTAL for 4 = 8 or $2 per person

 

[nannerbadnanner]

I am just too curious about this Red Beans and Rice I see people mentioning all the time!
Obviously I have never tried it.. but it sounds like a great budget meal and flavors I would enjoy.
Would anyone mind posting there recipe or pm'ing it to me?
Also if there is a way it would work in a slow cooker that would be great as I love to put things on in the morning when I have lots of energy and dinner is ready when I am too tired to cook.
Thanks guys

My recipe is
1 bag red kidney beans (soaked overnight)
1 small onion
1 small bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1-2 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning
Tabasco to taste
1 lb smoked sausage

Cook the beans per package directions and with everthing added in except sausage. I add the sausage in the last hour. Serve with rice and a side of cornbread. So good!

I would think it would be fine to cook this in a slow cooker as long as the beans are saoked the night before.

 

[nannerbadnanner]

Have you tried differeant variations of this? I would love to make some beans and rice, but can't stand red beans. Would it taste alright with white beans or great northern beans? Also, I'm not a fan of smoked sausage. How would regular sausage taste instead?

If you like white beans, have you ever tried white chicken chili. I use great northern beans (2 cans), a can of tomatoes ( I like Rotel), chicken broth, an onion, chili spices, and diced chicken. SO very good!

 

[beckanoah]

Tonight I took broken and crumbly Club crackers and put them in the food processor to make crumbs. I took chicken tenders and dipped them in eggwhites followed by the crumbs and parmesan cheese. baked them in the oven. We had leftover green beans (free) broccoli, and a package of cheddar broccoli rice (great value)

Total
2.00 chicken
.0 green beans
1.00 broccoli
.66 rice
.25 club crackers
.25 eggwhite

 

[OceanAnnie]

It's a pretty budget night for us! I'm using leftover steak for our meal. We're having Spanish steak over rice. I sautee onions and green peppers in some butter. I slice the steak and add that. Then I add diced tomatoes (with basil and garlic) and add some salsa. I also put in some seasoning here and there. I do it by memory. We had this dish when I was a kid. Love it. I let thet simmer on the stove. Serve over rice.

Not sure what sides we're having. I think we'll have chocolate chip cookies for dessert.