Black beans and rice.
One of V and I's new standby foods is black beans and rice. They're good in a bowl topped with cheese, or in a burrito with all the fixin's. They're great pre- or post-climbing, since they're high in protein and fiber. And they're EASY.
1.5 or 2 cups of dried black beans, soaked overnight (put them in a bowl at least twice their volume, add water to the brim, let it sit)
water (I usually dump the soak water and rinse the beans, then re-fill the bowl, beans and all, and add it to the pot. Then I add a second bowl full of water, so... maybe 6 cups of water? I need to measure next time)
chopped onion (usually whatever I've got around, I've used a whole onion, and as little as a quarter of an onion)
A hefty slosh of soy sauce, maybe 1/8 of a cup?
A hefty dose of Worchestershire sauce (I hold the bottle upside down and give it three good shakes, and call it good)
2 tsp of seasoning salt. I've been using some that Mom brought me from Hawaii (much to the ire of the TSA) that is seasalt, paprika and cocoa, among other things. I have also used plain salt, oregano and chili flakes once, with good result.
Put the lid on your pot and boil on low heat until the beans are mostly done; this usually takes me about an hour to two hours. The beans should be soft enough to eat, but still firm enough to be holding together.
Add one cup of uncooked rice, and stir to combine. I used brown basmati this time with good result; I've also used white long grain. I wouldn't recommend white short grain, I suspect it would get gummy.
Continue cooking on low with the lid on until the rice is done. The brown basmati took about an hour, the white long grain only took half an hour, so just kinda taste it as you go.
The first day, the beans and rice will be a little runny, but they'll thicken up overnight and can be easily used as a burrito filling. They're great with eggs, too, and they freeze well.
I've been using this as a replacement for meat in my mexican dishes. I have yet to try it with nachos, but I bet it would be good. It IS quite fantastic with cheese and avocado and salsa on top.
The nice thing about this is that all of the ingredients keep basically forever in your pantry, though the toppings don't. It is a somewhat time consuming dish, but the active time is REALLY minimal. It also appears to be pretty forgiving. It has never yet come out tasting BAD, nor has the texture ever gotten icky on me, even when I've cooked it far longer than I intended to.
So I hope you enjoy!
1.5 or 2 cups of dried black beans, soaked overnight (put them in a bowl at least twice their volume, add water to the brim, let it sit)
water (I usually dump the soak water and rinse the beans, then re-fill the bowl, beans and all, and add it to the pot. Then I add a second bowl full of water, so... maybe 6 cups of water? I need to measure next time)
chopped onion (usually whatever I've got around, I've used a whole onion, and as little as a quarter of an onion)
A hefty slosh of soy sauce, maybe 1/8 of a cup?
A hefty dose of Worchestershire sauce (I hold the bottle upside down and give it three good shakes, and call it good)
2 tsp of seasoning salt. I've been using some that Mom brought me from Hawaii (much to the ire of the TSA) that is seasalt, paprika and cocoa, among other things. I have also used plain salt, oregano and chili flakes once, with good result.
Put the lid on your pot and boil on low heat until the beans are mostly done; this usually takes me about an hour to two hours. The beans should be soft enough to eat, but still firm enough to be holding together.
Add one cup of uncooked rice, and stir to combine. I used brown basmati this time with good result; I've also used white long grain. I wouldn't recommend white short grain, I suspect it would get gummy.
Continue cooking on low with the lid on until the rice is done. The brown basmati took about an hour, the white long grain only took half an hour, so just kinda taste it as you go.
The first day, the beans and rice will be a little runny, but they'll thicken up overnight and can be easily used as a burrito filling. They're great with eggs, too, and they freeze well.
I've been using this as a replacement for meat in my mexican dishes. I have yet to try it with nachos, but I bet it would be good. It IS quite fantastic with cheese and avocado and salsa on top.
The nice thing about this is that all of the ingredients keep basically forever in your pantry, though the toppings don't. It is a somewhat time consuming dish, but the active time is REALLY minimal. It also appears to be pretty forgiving. It has never yet come out tasting BAD, nor has the texture ever gotten icky on me, even when I've cooked it far longer than I intended to.
So I hope you enjoy!