arroz con habichuelas (frijoles)
an episode of hoarder’s showcased a family living within inuit country, far north close to the arctic. they voiced how they could be stuck at home for days at a time with the already limited resources available to the community.
this reminded me of how important it is for people to know basic survival foods and how much i’ve been meaning to work on this part of the blog experience away from the community garden journey: NOURISHING FOOD RECIPE BLOG!!
we all need to eat to function in this society, and while many people have had the privilege of being well nourished from day to day by guardians, another many bunches of people learned how to survive with basic foods in empty pantries. sparing the details, a joke in my home between me and my spouse is how i can look at the pantry and see at least 5 different ways to make a meal while my husband will look and immediately feels we need to stock up. we live and love the balance of it all!
speaking of balance, the balance in nutrition is difficult. every one is different, no one body will metabolize at the exact same way another will. but breaking things down to survival and basics, the balance we can meet with any nourishing meal may boil to three main things: protein, good fats, and vegetables (fiber).
so - onward we go to the wonderous world of rice and beans - arroz con habichuelas for us puerto ricans, arroz con frijoles for so many other cultures!
beans are bountiful little things on a nutrition standpoint AND any type you like, flavored any way you like can go with some ding dang delicious steamed white rice. one of the types that i believe to have more versatility in left overs are the black beans. this is absolutely a staple meal for the weekly list for our home:
2 cups white steamed rice - salt the water
45oz black beans - 3 cans if not using dried
soak dry black beans overnight in water before use - salt the water if preferred
seasoning when cooking beans:
salt, pepper, garlic, lemon, or lemon pepper
protein of choice - fish, chicken most common
½ avocado - diced/sliced if preferred
cooking instructions:
for the rice, use a rice maker or a pot and put as many cups of water as you put white rice
salt the water to taste, set it at low close to medium, and forget it - if you make it differently, do your thing, i trust you! we just want steamed white rice, man.
for the beans, in a medium sized pot put all of the black beans you’re using and add in water enough to cover them slightly.
put heat to medium, then add in all the seasoning of your choice
beans will be done cooking when they are soft all the way through and it has thickened a bit
taste and add more seasoning if preferred
serve with protein of choice and good fats (we use avocado)
that’s all, folks. literally. period.
you can use however much of whichever seasoning you have or prefer. i also add some tumeric in there for my spouse, as it’s a helpful anti-inflammatory but make sure you aren’t allergic to it first!! i also only use the powders of most seasonings since they store for longer periods of time.
this should make about 5 to 6 servings, so you may have left overs to play with!! the leftover rice can be used with any other protein or vegetable. i love me some eggs and rice for breakfast, so that’s usually where my left over rice goes (if not for a chili base!! a recipe for another blog)! the black beans can be eaten with so many other meals - nachos, tacos, with eggs or another protein, taco salad…etc. the limit does not exist.
when you need to survive, food is one of the more stress inducing aspects because it feels like it never ends. having enough left overs to last for another meal or two IS EVERYTHING for nourishment, energy saving, resource allocation, and stress reduction.
who knows what the future will hold. what i do know is that we can use the past - our own past, and other people experiences - to help guide us as we reach the unknown.
we’ve got this. one meal at a time, friends.
-v.