Poor Man's Meal

When I was living in NYC, I spent a lot of time worrying about money.  Everything was just so expensive--especially food and drinks at restaurants.  I didn't want to miss out on trying all the great food the city's restaurants have to offer, so I did my best to save as much money during the week so that I could spend it going out to dinner on the weekends.

Enter "the poor man's meal" or homemade black beans and rice.  I got this recipe from my sister.  It's very easy to make and provides approximately 12 portions or meals for one for a few weeks.

You start by chopping carrots, celery, half an onion and a few cloves of garlic.  I would include amounts, but this recipe is not very precise.  I think I usually use 3 carrots and 3-4 celery stalks.  Heat up some olive oil in a pot and saute everything together.  It should look like this:

I use whole black beans that you buy in the bag, because it's less expensive than canned beans and you don't have to worry about preservatives and other bad things that may be involved during the canning process.  You have to soak the beans in water overnight before you drain them and add them to the pot.

The next step is to add chicken stock.  I typically add an entire box.  You just need to make sure the stock covers the beans.

Bring the mixture to a boil and add seasoning.  I use cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, Tabasco, salt and pepper.  Again no exact measurements.  Just add everything to taste.

Mix everything together, reduce heat, cover and let everything simmer for an hour or so.  Your finished product should look like this:

I serve my black beans with brown rice and salsa.  Enjoy!