Welcome! Nuestra Casa Es Su Casa ...Our house is your house

A glimpse into the life of Daniel and Jaynee Lockwood and their 12 precious blessings. Thank you for visiting; we pray that what we share here may always bring glory to our wonderful God and Saviour. May you praise the Lord with us for the great things He has done and continues to do as we serve Him sharing the gospel here in the little town of Cuidad Insurgentes, BCS Mexico. He alone is good and faithful!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Beans and Rice are Nice....

....and healthy, inexpensive, easy to make, and quite yummy too :)
Here are some recent questions from our readers:
Can you share your recipes for the rice and beans, even if you consider it "basic"?
Do you season the beans?
too was wondering how you prepare the beans and how you get little ones to eat it??!!
Personally, I have always loved beans and rice. Daniel loves beans though he isn’t too fond of rice...if I hide it in something, then he’ll eat it ;)
Timothy (our oldest) was 7 years old when we moved to Mexico and he and Elijah are the only two that really remember living in the USA. So our children have grown up eating what the people here eat...and beans and rice accompanies most every meal.
After working and playing hard, they always come to the table hungry, so I make lots of beans and rice!
I make the beans very simple:
*I sort the beans (so you don’t chomp onto a rock)
*I wash the beans and then soak them overnight
*I then put them in new water and bring them to a boil; after they boil, I turn down the heat and let them simmer for about 3 hours.
*When they are finished, I add salt and crushed garlic (because we all really like garlic :) ).
*We either eat them whole or I will re-fry them
Refried beans:
*Drain off most of the water from the cooked beans
*Melt some manteca in a pan (pig lard...I know it sounds gross, but makes them taste super yummy!)
*Add the beans to the manteca and smash them with a potato masher until they are to desired consistency
Refried beans can be eaten as a meal, a side, or in part of a dish (bean enchiladas, bean burritos, nachos, tacos ect...)

The rice they make here is so simple and so good! I have learned to cook here like they have taught me; they never “measure” anything...it’s all by sight and feel, so I’m not sure on exact measurements, but I would assume if you measured, the rice would be cooked with 2 to 1 water to rice.
This is how I make our rice:
*Pour some oil in a pan (I put a couple tablespoons or so for about 2 cups of rice)
*Add desired rice (I almost always add garlic too...you c an also add chopped onion or carrots or whatever you’d like too)
*Cook on high heat stirring continually until rice turns a nutty brown color...careful not to burn it...you might want to have your water on hand nearby to add quickly once the rice turns brown.
*Add the water (like I said, I would imagine it is 2 to 1... For a cup of rice add 2 cups water)
*Add some tomato sauce (I add about half a cup) and some salt or add a cube or two of tomato bullion
*Cover and let simmer until rice is tender
Tacos
Quesadillas with refried beans
Tostadas

18 comments:

  1. Can you post your recipe for your homemade tortillas? I have tried the whole wheat ones and to be honest, I just love plain old white flour. :) Thanks so much. By the way, I tried the beans and rice, they were so good my kids said they would eat it everyday!

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  2. Those pictures make me hungry! I love Mexican food....I would be quite happy with beans and rice every day. Often the simplest foods are the yummiest!

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  3. keep forgetting to try beans and rice for lucy now that she's out of the uber picky phase

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  4. Yum! I think I know what we're having tomorrow!
    Do you make your tortillas? I have a tortilla press/cooker that turns out some good whole wheat tortillas.
    God bless,
    Becky in TN

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  5. Yum! We live about 10 miles from the Texas/Mexico border yet I am ashamed to say we have never made a meal like this--but it sounds so good, we love garlic too!

    And, thanks for posting the audio clip of the family singing. Whenever I'm feeling down I come and listen to it--never fails to bring a smile!
    Love,
    Jen

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  6. That food looks so good and simple. I have been introducing beans more and more to our children. They seem to be partial to black beans. Do you only use pintos or a variety of beans? I will have to try your way of making rice. It sounds so good. THANKS FOR SHARING!!!
    Blessings,
    Dawn
    www.homeschoolblogger.com/my4sweetums

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  7. Thank you for sharing. I think I am gonna try your recipe. I always make southern beans with salt pork and rice, with some corn bread and sweet tea.

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  8. Hi Jaynee,
    Yummy!!!! Do you have recipe for the soppilias (sp?) that you fry and eat with honey?
    Blessings.
    Cindy

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  9. Jaynee,

    Mmmmmm. Reminds me of the Tex-Mex food that we used to eat when we lived in Texas. Thanks for posting, your meals look wonderful.
    I thought it was interesting too that here in Argentina "manteca" is butter and lard is "grasa". What is the name for butter in your area?

    Have a blessed day,
    Jessica

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  10. Yummy, i love your blog and congrats on your new baby.
    Chris in iowa.

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  11. I made your rice today.
    YUMMY!!!
    Thanks for sharing.

    His Peace,
    Debbie

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  12. we LOVE beans and rice...of course my kids are all little mexicans...it's the only home they know! I cook my beans in a crockpot, though...and we love to make "sopa" which is what they call the rice here in Guadalajara. It's their favorite!! Also, we love to mix different beans together...one of my kids favorites is "peruano" beans, white beans, and black beans. I heat them up with garlic, onion, and oil...so yummy. Sometimes I add a quick "sauce" of cream of mushroom soup & a bit of sour cream...lots of pepper...with all the different beans it's a great taste that is simple and a little different than regular beans.

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  13. I'm not all that handy in the kitchen but I am determined to make healthy, frugal meals in my kitchen. Since my family loves just about anything mexican, I bought myself some beans and rice. I made the rice earlier this week and it was wonderful! Today I made your refried beans (I had to improvise and use butter and a ham flavoring I found in the "hispanic" part of my grocery store since I didn't know where to get pig lard) and the beans were yummy too! Thank you for sharing - I'm sure it seems like second nature to you but your step by step directions were great! Looking forward to each post! God Bless!

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  14. Jaynee: Thanks for sharing the beans and rice recipes. We have had a huge money crunch with my husband being laid off and I told him it's beans and rice, lettuce, etc to save money. They are wonderful. I am cooking my second pot now. :o)

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  15. TY for giving me some new ideas. If we are doing refried beans for burritos one night...I soak pinto beans overnight. Next morning throw them into the crockpot with an onion and hamhock. We have that for one night and then remaining beans are smashed the next night and fried...wonderful post and blog:)

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  16. I make beans in the crockpot myself too, after soaking overnight. Just water and if I have some fat (bacon grease or a hock than all the better).
    I make mine plain and then add the seasonings later. That way I can turn them into mexican beans (mushed and fried in the pan with some olive oil and cumin and salt) or after draining add bbq sauce for bbq beans. I also freeze some into 1.5 cup portions to round out meals when needed on the fly, just defrost add your flavor and you are done!

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  17. This looks so delicio-so (is that the Spanish word for delicious??) :)

    I've just started reading your blog and am fascinated by it. I'm going back through the archives and am at about April 2008.

    I'd love to have your recipes for tortillas. "Real" Mexican food is a favorite of mine, up here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We have an authentic Mexican restaurant nearby that I go to often, but I love to cook!

    God bless you and your family!
    Julie
    jules_ac00@yahoo.com

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  18. Coming over from Tammy's recipes.

    What a wonderfully beautiful family you have! Wow! Blessings abound!

    I've got a pot of beans cooking right NOW! I'm trying to incorporate more and more beans now that meat prices are rising so much. Besides, they are healthy and good!

    Your food pics look so GOOD!

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