Friday, July 24, 2009

My favorite "I don't want to cook" meal

We all have those days where the last thing you want to do is cook. Sometimes this means takeout. Other days I have cereal for dinner. But then there are the days where you realize you need to eat real food and you've gone out to dinner twice* already.

What you need:
an onion
a can of southwest diced tomatoes (plain diced will work too)
a can of black beans
any Tex-Mex spices you have
salt

  1. Chop the onion then saute it over medium heat in a bit of oil/butter/whatever you have.
  2. While the onions are going open and drain the beans.
  3. Once the onions are soft pour in the diced tomatoes.
  4. Add the black beans.
  5. Sprinkle in spices to taste. I did 1 tsp cumin, a few shakes of garlic powder and 1/2 tsp of salt. If you're using plain diced tomatoes a dash of Cayenne (or your favorite spiciness) is good.
  6. Mix around some and then let it simmer until it achieves your desired sauciness. If you're using it over rice it's better with some wetness. If you're rolling it up in a tortilla it's better to cook most of the liquid off, unless you like drippy burritos.
This is easily a kitchen sink kind of meal. Last night I had some cooked rice and frozen broccoli in the fridge. I added both after the tomatoes and before the beans. In the past I've added corn, zucchini, or mushrooms depending on what's in the fridge. Cilantro is also good. Really it's about whatever is in your fridge that doesn't require too much effort.

Last night I rolled everything up in a tortilla with some cheese. A yummy, easy, and cheap dinner.

*One was planned, one happened after helping a friend who is pretty sick get some things done.

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