virtuous cooking

Does anyone else sing the phrase "beans and rice" in place of the "Jesus Christ" in the Jesus Christ Superstar theme? "Beans and rice; beans and rice. Who are you? What have you sacrificed?"

No? You will the next time you are confronted with beans and rice, I bet, now that I've put it in your head.

Anyway, since I'm running behind today, a quick picture of my lunch for the next week: beans and rice.

The red chunks are beets, tossed in with the beans during their first hour of cooking. Then I scooped the beets out, peeled them and cut them nto pieces. I put some aside for both Cory and Scott, who seem to be able to eat their weight in beets. Neither, however, will eat the black beans. Maddy, for reasons unknown, has gone from liking beets to hating them, which I found out when I tried to give beets to her when this batch came out. She will, however, eat the beans. But not the rice. Because that would make it too easy.

Long story short, I'm the only one who will eat all three in combination. Which suits me fine, because I like to not have to think very hard about what to have for lunch and know that I am my only competition for it.

It does need a little umph and I can't quite figure it out what. Feta, maybe? Thoughts? What are your easy lunches, the sort where you just make a big pot o' stuff and reheat throughout the week?

Comments

[Anna]

I wish I could eat like that, the same thing a couple of days in a row. But it's not to be. I Can't even buy 4 days worth of deli meat because by the second day I'm bored. Even if I converted from sandwiches to salads.

The dude, however, would gladly eat a cheese sandwich every day for the rest of his life.

[emily]

i eat beans and rice for lunches constantly. i like a lot of cumin to make it more flavorful (although it does make it smell like BO, kind of) and roasted red peppers from the jar. also cheese is always a plus.

[Trish]

I don't have any suggestions, but I'm the same way. I have a usual in the lunch room at work. I joke with the cashier that I'm like Meeko -- put kibble in my bowl and I'm happy.

[gemni in knoxville]

Try adding a small chunk of hot Italian sausage.

That looks yummy, BTW.

[Debra]

This coming week, I'm preparing couscous with vegetables. I also bring left over pasta & chilli for lunch. Sometimes pita bread and chopped raw veggies flavored with soy sauce for a sandwich. Sometimes I'll make a large batch of egg salad (mayo, mustard, celery, pickle relish, scallions, fresh japalino)to serve in sandwiches or over salad. Lentil salad with wilted kale is another good commissary item.

[anj]

OH feta on that would be sublime.

I eat whatever leftovers are in the fridge.. simlpy b'c that is the easiest way to keep up with it. Sue, OTOH, loves a tortilla with hummus, feta, grape tomatoes, and spinache leaves. Every day. WHich is good. Altho this week I changed it up on her b'c I had leftovers from the chicken.. so she got chicken salad (just mayo and mustard.. anything else makes it "too fancy") with a slice of provolone and grape tomatoes.

[Jerri]

Never thought of this combo and will adapt it soon...we eat lots of beets and r/b, but not together...feta definitely as it finds its way into the separate ingredients and sounds great in the combo.
Evidently one of my "gifts" according to the people who live with me is to make leftovers appealing. It usually takes one of three forms depending one what's in the frig, and they all hold well for lunches: sauce/topping for pasta,rice,quinoa,potatoes; stir fry base; and frittata. All work together with whatever ingredients are there and serve as a dinner then lunch the next day (for example, if I've made a stir fry but the rice/quinoa is gone, then it becomes the base for a frittata.) The general leftovers come from the "normal" big meal I'll make a night or so a week with a protein, veggies, salad, etc. which still astonishes me when I think of my mother making the meat and 3-5 EVERY night...
OK, enough of my family eating patterns in this vein or I'll start on breafasts and school lunch approaches as I seem to be on a roll...time for a cupcake!

[Debra]

Oh yeah, frittata is excellent to have around.

[Amy A. in OK]

A big ol' pot of black beans is a staple around my house. One of my favorite ways to dress it up is to dice up several sweet potatoes and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne if you like. Roast the potatoes and you can just mix up with beans or I also love to make black bean an sweet potato tacos. Avocados go great with this, as well as all of the fixins' you would normally include on a soft taco. If I don't watch out, I will eat the whole pan of roasted sweet potatoes right out of the oven! So, what in the heck to do you do with beets? I recently decided that I should probably include some in my diet but didn't really know what to do with them and thus, they ended up on my compost heap. Still puzzled.

[Adrienne]

I've never managed a decent frittata. It seems to be my cross to bear. I admire your ability to repurpose your leftovers, tho. And bring on the lunch ideas.

I have a sudden urge to make egg salad. What's weird is that I'll eat whatever is handy for lunch and breakfast even if it's the same thing for days but always want dinner to be NEW and INTERESTING.

Sweet potatoes are a keeper, too. I have been known to eat them straight off of the pan myself, especially if roasted with red onions.

Another beet idea -- which I use a lot because it's one of the few veg we all like -- is to hack of the tops, scrub, then wrap in foil with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook in a 375ish oven for an hour or until tender. You can eat them that way -- the peels will rub right off. Or toss with pasta or on a salad, etc.

[Jerri]

I have an idea...next time you come to Knoxville, let's make a frittata together. We can have beets on the side.
For me, it was watching someone make one vs. recipe instructions that made the dif.
Love beets that way, too! We'd eat beets daily here if we could (and if all the seeds come up, we just might later this year.)
And ditto on the SPs..George puts any leftovers in his famous weekend waffles.
Let's add those to the brunch schedule when you visit someday!