Weekend Food

It’s weekend food because it takes longer to prepare: soak beans overnight, cook them the following day then cook the difficult, but healthy combination of brown and wild rice.  Wild rice on its own is expensive for my pocket, that’s why I buy this mix. 

There are gadgets to speed up the process but I won’t buy them because of your kitchen counter top. Just tell me, how many gadgets are gathering dust because you buy the latest digital version every two years?

C’mon, just say you cannot afford a pressure cooker, a slicer, a blender, a juicer and a Coca Cola maker.

A what? 

Coca Cola maker.

I digress. Where was I? Weekend food. The beans are cooked although they made a mess on the stove, with all that over boiling. I must try canned pinto or red beans one of these days. I saw a recipe that says they taste as good as freshly cooked ones, just drain the water. I don’t mind the hassle, thanks very much. Besides, what are beans without their own thick natural sauce?

Recipe

1. Boil wild rice and brown rice mix in medium heat for 15 min uncovered (it over boils).

2. Add half a cup of water and lower the heat. Cook for 10 min. This is a hit or miss situation because the brown rice cooks faster than the wild one. Use your discretion to avoid a result that looks like porridge.

3. Remove from heat and let it rest for 30 min.

4. Cook onion and tomato in olive oil and a spoon of Jamaican jerk seasoning, in medium heat for six minutes.

5. Add the cooked beans. Cook for 10 min.

6. Add sliced carrots (optional) and cook for three minutes.

7. Remove from stove and cool for 30 minutes.

Finale

Mix beans and rice with a teaspoon of low fat margarine. Enjoy.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.