Beans and Rice

Laurc19

Hey all! I really like brown rice and beans for a diet friendly meal or snack. I usually make a big batch at the beginning of the week and have some when I feel like I need something substantial or don't feel like making dinner. However, I am running out of ideas for sauces or seasonings for it. Any ideas? I've done a salsa/plain greek yogurt combo and low sodium soy sauce. I'm blanking on what else I've tried but any suggestions would be appreciated!

DX2JX2

Cuban black beans. Onion/garlic/peppers/touch of sugar/white vinegar.

Goya has a good recipe on their website. You can use the recipe with any beans but black beans are traditional.

aeloine

BBQ sauce
hot sauce
sambal & hoisin sauce
Rosemary
Olive oil and vinegar
Marsala sauce with mushrooms
salt and pepper
Taco seasoning is BOMB

Need2Exerc1se

Hmm, I've never put sauce on my beans and rice. I just mix up the type of beans, peppers, other vegetables and seasonings for variety.

leggup

Go to the ethnic food aisle and go nuts. I just bought a ton of curry sauces and chutneys.

aeloine

Oh yeah! Just bought a garlic Cholula sauce but I've seen some AWESOME combos (gochuchang mayo, sriracha mayo, etc).

HeidiCooksSupper

Anything you can do to rice you can pretty much do to rice and beans or, for that matter, grains and lentils. I just started with this risotto recipe last night and fummy-diddled with it to make it with spelt berries (farro) and French lentils. It was yummy. I added a touch of cream and parmesan to "richen up" the sauce and just used regular cremini mushrooms but, oh, it was yummy!

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/03/green-risotto-with-mushrooms-recipe.html

No, for purists, it's not the same dish but as long as it tastes good to you do whatever you want to a recipe!

litoria

I love this combo too, I make a batch of chilli beans at the start of the week and pre cook the rice too. The variations and combinations are limited only by your imagination. This week its black-eyed bean chilli with black rice, next week I think I'll do chickpea and eggplant curry with red rice. Mmm

nw623

Beans and rice are a food staple for me. Look up recipes from Africa and Latin America and you'll find no shortage of ideas. Cuban black beans anyone? Dirty beans and rice? Yum!

A popular dinner at my house are burrito bowls. Everyone puts what they want in them. Options typically include shredded cheddar, grilled onions and bell peppers, salsa, avocado, corn, olives, tofu, chicken, and greek yogurt.

Adding taco seasoning (chili powder, cumin, powdered onion) helps change up the the flavor of the beans. Replacing water with vegetable broth helps add a different dimension as well.

apullum

Think of beans and rice as a template that you can customize with sauce, fruits, veggies, whatever you like. Here are some ideas: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/rice-and-beans/

Laurc19

Thank you so much for the ideas everyone!!!! Cuban black beans and taco seasoning are happening immediately!