Black Beans and Rice

What do you do with random canned goods in your pantry when you are trying to clean it out? This is one of the best times to try new things... and get inventive with what you have.

I wasn't a huge fan of beans but the recipe for classic black beans and rice looks like it could be interesting so I decided to try it. (We still had plenty of rice from our Costco stash.) I substituted this is a shallot + some garlic powder for a clove of garlic.

I didn't think my onions were chopped finely enough, but it ended up working out in the end.

After I poured the beans in it looks kinda gross.. but I just crossed my fingers and kept faith.

And the beans are ready to go!

This story ends with a bit of a surprise. Since I wasn't sure if I would like this meal, I had cleared it with Keith that it would be his dinner for the next few days if I didn't care for it. But you know what? I liked it! I don't see this entering into the regular meal rotation, but it is something that I may choose to make on purpose next time, not because I'm trying to clean out my pantry.

When I mixed up the beans and rice, it looked really pretty.