Hunger Awareness Dinner #3: Beans & Rice

After the trauma of the Chicken Helper last night, I rewarded myself tonight with an easy, comforting meal - Beans and Rice.  I didn't do anything fancy; just a nice big pot of beans that simmered away while I was working in the other room.

Beans and rice remind me of my grandmother.  She used to tell me how she always cooked them on Monday because it was laundry day and she didn't have to think about it while they cooked.  I didn't think to cook them on Monday, but I did do laundry while I was cooking so I got it at least half right.

Normally, I would have added a nice smoked sausage, but I didn't have any today so I relied on the ham hocks to give it flavor.  They did a fine job.I also would normally use an onion, but I was out so I added an extra clove of garlic.  I used some of the chicken stock that I made on Monday and was happy that the chicken has now made its way into two of my meals.

The pot made 4 big dinner servings and, again, I have leftovers.  This week has definitely reminded me that I don't know how to cook for one well and my freezer is overflowing as evidence to that fact.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I threw out the Chicken Helper leftovers today.  I had an MSG headache when I went to bed last night and felt gross when I got up this morning, so I tossed them.  I hated throwing out food, particularly something that had good veggies in it, but I just could not eat that again.

Tonight's meal cost was by far the cheapest so far:
$  .86    1 bag pinto beans
$1.94    1 lb ham hocks
$  .15    3 garlic cloves
$  .07    1 cup rice
$  .83    1 onion (used in the chicken broth)
$  .80    1 serving of mixed lettuce
$  .67    1/3 radishes from bunch
$5.32     Total

I was happy to be reminded tonight how much I love red beans and rice and how something so inexpensive can be so tasty and healthy.  I'm going to have work it back into my cooking rotation on a more regular basis.

Beans & Rice
1 lb pinto beans
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsps cumin
1 lb ham hocks
6 cups chicken stock
1.5 tsps salt

Combine all the ingredients except the salt in a large pot.  Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for two hours, stirring occassionally.  When the beans are tender, taste the beans and add the salt, adjusting the amount as needed.

Remove the ham hocks and bay leaves from the beans.

Serve with rice.  Garnish with onions, jalapenos or Tabasco sauce.  (I used chives and Tabasco.)