Frugal Meal

I need to throw in a couple of "frugal meals" for dinners this week. Don't tell, but I spent way too much of my grocery money feasting on gourmet pizzas, fresh, warm scones, and sweet strawberry cream tarts at Flat Rock Village Bakery last week, and I have to now make my grocery budget s--t--r--e--t--c--h until the end of April!! So, here's the perfect meal to do it. It's frugal, it's fast, and it's fabulously tasty (oh, and it's nutritious too!!)

Spicy Black Beans and Rice

Start out with two 15 ounce cans of black beans. Open them up, drain and rinse them well.



Open two 15 ounce cans of either mexican stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes with green chilis or (if you're REALLY adventurous) diced tomatoes with jalapenos.

Now, take a really large yellow onion (I always use the sweet or Vidalia onions) and 6-8 cloves of garlic (depending on your garlic love/tolerance!) and chop them into tiny pieces.

Start 3 tablespoons of oil heating over medium-high heat.

And then add in all that delicious onion and garlic goodness and saute' until tender.

When the onion and garlic are tender and getting translucent, add in the tomatoes and black beans. (If my tomatoes in this picture look remarkably smoother than they did above, it's because several in my family are averse to chunks of tomatoes in their food, so I puree' them to make everyone happy.)

At this point, you will also add in some ground cayenne pepper if desired. Because I used the diced tomatoes with green chilis (and not the jalapenos) I put 1/4 teaspoon in of the cayenne, otherwise I would just skip it. Go easy! This stuff is powerful!

Now, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer away, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes on a low temperature and let all the delicious flavors of tomato, chilis, onion, garlic, and beans meld and morph together. Smells divine too!



I serve a nice big helping of the Spicy Black Beans over brown rice and top it with some grated monterey jack and a tangy dollop of sour cream.

Breathe in deeply and enjoy.

Here's the recipe:

(Please forgive the spacing below. The blog wants to double space, and I cannot tell it otherwise.)

Spicy Black Beans & Rice

1 cup sweet onions, chopped

6-8 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons of oil

2-15 oz. cans of black beans

2-15 oz. cans of mexican stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes w/ green chilis, or diced tomatoes with jalapenos (undrained)

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (or to taste)

Saute' onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes, rinsed and drained beans, and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15-20 minutes. Serve over rice and garnish with grated cheese and sour cream.