The bean count

Well, we had rice and beans last night, and it was the probably the most consistently well-received dish of its kind yet. I don't know if that's because the kids are getting used to eating more rice and beans, if they were just trying to be encouraging because I find it difficult to really vary the stuff, or if it was just really that much better tasting. One liked it more than the others, and while one had to be encouraged to eat more, (and did) as far as I know, everyone did walk away without asking for an alternate meal. At any rate, they said they would eat it again, and that puts another win in my column. Running count: Beans:2 Me:3.
I started with this recipe, but as usual, I did my "use what I would reasonably have in food storage" routine, and here is how I changed it:
---soaked the beans most of the day instead of just rinsing them and dropping them in boiling water. They came out about right in the time frame given, so I'm glad I did.
---dried parsley in place of the parsley sprigs
---onion powder in place of the scallions or green onions
---garlic powder in place of the garlic cloves
---olive oil instead of peanut oil
I just guessed with the amount of the onion and garlic powders, and a small (fortunately) problem with the rosemary arose when I thought that the recipe called for fresh so I was "guessing" and put in a teaspoon instead of a 1/4 teaspoon, but I reread the recipe soon enough and was able to scoop a great deal of it out right after it was in the oil, and a little later on as well. A result of this was that it tasted a little on the strong side, but since I don't know how much was actually left in, it's a hard call. We'll have to see how it comes out when I do it right the next time.
While I recommend that you check out and try this recipe on your own, with all the changes, the thing I am probably recommending the most is the flavor combination--I hope that the original author(s) of the recipe wouldn't want to pull their hair out if they were to see the above changes. These would probably taste even more delicious (like I've said, I like rice and beans, and hey, I have lunch today as well :) ) if they were prepared in the intended manner, but I just don't think I would have all that is called for in terms of ingredients in storage, so I want to know now what I'm realistically looking at. Plus, we have phone service working, (not always available in emergency situations) and it's nice to be able to call your best source (in my case, Mom) when you have questions about the effects of adding too much rosemary.... :) Just trying to work the problems out now, and it's nice to end up with a recipe in the "plus" column.
You may wonder why I focus on the rice and beans. When used together, rice and beans are a complete protein, and protein is essential to a healthy diet as well as potentially being difficult to find in an emergency situation. I search for recipes with dried beans so that I will know how to get them edible in the most efficient ways possible. Hey, dried beans will store for a long time if stored properly. I will be trying out and posting about other kinds of recipes, because food variety would sure brighten an emergency situation. But last night we had these rice and beans, plus rolls from the recipe I linked to earlier (that we made Wednesday), and called it good.
That is, until a few hours later when we put out a frozen pizza (cooked, of course) for the kids. That's a pretty hefty "snack" at our house. Just trying to tell the whole story.... :)