- Hi, I'm Becky Striepe from Glue & Glitter.
And today we're gonna talk about some fun ways
to spice up your beans and rice.
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Hey.
So I don't know about where you live,
but where I live, things are kind of bananas.
Grocery stores are out of everything.
My kids school is getting shutdown
for the foreseeable future.
And we are stocking up on staples and foods that last,
because I'm a little concerned
about this grocery store situation.
If what I'm seeing on store shelves is anything to go by,
you are all stocking up on beans and rice.
So let's talk about how to make those dishes interesting
when you're eating beans and rice for days and days
and maybe weeks and hopefully not months.
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When it comes to beans and rice,
I kinda think anything that would go on top of a taco
can make it more fun.
And I also think, not throwing everything on all at once
so that you sorta mix and match day to day
will make a big difference.
Toppings like avocado, pickled jalapeno,
which keeps for a really long time.
Something like green onions which will keep for a long time
if you put them in a vase of water,
just in a sunny spot of your kitchen.
We keep them on the kitchen table.
Other toppings you can add are fresh or cooked veggies.
You could steam frozen vegetables.
If you make your beans and rice unseasoned,
you can really go like any direction with them.
It doesn't have to always be like a taco
or burrito inspired seasonings.
So now that we've talked a little bit about
the basics of beans and rice,
let's talk about these four sauces
that I think you're gonna love.
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The first sauce is a pineapple salsa.
Now, the original recipe does call for fresh pineapple
but, in case of emergency,
you can use an equal amount of canned pineapple.
It won't be as fresh tasting,
because it's not fresh pineapple,
but it will be delicious.
I've made this with canned pineapple before in a pinch.
Start by chopping your pineapple up into small pieces.
And then add some chopped onion.
Onions are great because, they not only add great flavor
to cooked and uncooked dishes,
but onions keep forever.
So if you're store has onions, buy a bunch of them.
You can keep right in your produce bowl
and they'll last for a good amount of time.
Then add two cloves of minced garlic.
Then add a couple of teaspoons of minced jalapeno.
The jalapeno you kind of do need fresh.
You could leave it out or substitute bell pepper
for a milder salsa.
If you want that heat and you don't have jalapeno,
you could do bell pepper or just leave it out
and then add some cayenne at the end to taste
to get that spiciness.
Add a quarter cup of chopped cilantro.
Next you'll add the juice and the zest from one lime.
Limes also keep for a really long time
so grab a bunch of lemons and limes
'cause they'll last in the fridge for weeks.
Finally, you'll add a little bit of salt to taste.
Stir it up and you're ready to spice up
those beans and rice.
This also will keep for a few days in the fridge.
But I would try to eat it within maybe three to four days.
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Up next is my blender chimichurri sauce.
The great thing about chimichurri is,
it does use a lot of fresh ingredients,
but the sauce keeps for a long time
because it is oiled and vinegar based.
And so the acidity from that vinegar makes it last.
You can keep it for at least a couple of weeks
in the fridge.
So even if you have to buy fresh ingredients,
know that you're extending their life for quite some time.
To make you're chimichurri sauce,
start off with a half a cup of olive oil.
And then add half a cup of red wine vinegar.
Toss in a half cup of fresh parsley
and a half cup of fresh cilantro.
Then add two teaspoons of dried oregano.
You can use two tablespoons of fresh oregano instead
but I'm guessing that right now,
fresh herbs and spices
are not at the top of your shopping list.
Next, add four cloves of garlic.
Like onions, garlic keeps for a really long time.
So grab a couple of heads if you're at the store.
It'll last well beyond
whatever quarantine is about to happen.
Toss in a medium shallot.
I like to chop the shallot just into like four pieces
to make it a little bit easier on the blender.
Shallots are related to garlic and onions.
So that's another flavorful ingredient you can stock up on.
Sauteed shallots on top of a bowl of beans and rice ps
is delightful.
Then add a Fresno, serrano or a jalapeno pepper
and blend that up until you have a somewhat smooth mix.
Chimichurri, traditionally,
you would actually mince everything up.
So, definitely don't blend until it's completely smooth.
Some texture is totally fine and encouraged.
This is great over beans and rice.
It's also great on a taco salad,
if you have some lettuce around, you can add some corn.
Chimichurri is a delight.
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Up next we have the easy vegan cheese sauce
from "The Veginner's Cookbook."
This sauce is so easy to make.
They use curry powder in this cheese sauce,
which might seem strange but it's actually lovely.
It's great drizzled over beans and rice.
Start by melting two tablespoons of coconut oil
in a small saucepan.
And then add some flour
and whisk that together to form a paste.
Next you'll add salt, paprika and curry powder
and whisk again.
Next, add one third cup of nutritional yeast
and you guessed it, whisk it again.
And now, as you're whisking,
you'll see that it's starting to get kind of crumbly
and it might feel like everything is failing
but don't worry, this is exactly what's supposed to happen.
Now you're gonna reduce the heat to low and add water
and, whisk some more.
Just keep whisking until that crumbly mixture
completely combines with the water
and you'll end up with like a creamy, dreamy,
pourable vegan cheese sauce.
It's great on beans and rice.
If you have tortillas,
you could use it use it to make tacos or quesadillas.
It's lovely over vegetables.
If you have broccoli or spinach in the freezer,
dress it up with this cheese sauce, you will not regret it.
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The last sauce that we're going to talk about
is my all purpose coconut curry sauce.
This is one of the most popular recipes on my website
and I'm not surprised because it is amazing
and it's easy to make.
It's great over veggies and over tofu
and it's also great on beans and rice.
You could put it on black beans and rice
and it's delightful.
It's also lovely over chickpeas and rice.
So, you can also mix up those beans a little bit.
I hope that you've bought a variety.
This is a blender recipe
so you're going to add all of the ingredients
right to your blender.
Start with a 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk.
Full fat or light is fine.
Then add one to two tablespoons of curry paste
of your choice.
You could also use curry powder in a pinch.
Start with a tablespoon,
and then you can always add more if you need it at the end.
So start with a tablespoon,
blend, taste.
And then you can add it a teaspoon at a time
until you reach your desired flavor level.
Add a once inch piece of fresh ginger.
Ginger is another one of those fresh ingredients
that keeps forever.
So, invest in a big hunk of ginger
and it will last you for weeks and weeks.
Toss in two cloves of garlic.
Add one teaspoon of brown sugar.
You don't have to add the brown sugar
if you are not doing sugar at all.
But I really like how that little touch of sweetness
offsets the heat from the curry.
And now it's time to blend.
So, puree this up until you have a nice smooth mixture.
And then, taste it and if you need to,
you can add more curry
and you can also season it at this point
with salt if it needs it.
So there it is!
A few ways to keep things interesting
if beans and rice is pretty much what's on the menu
for the next few weeks.
If you have any questions or comments
about anything in this video,
feel free to drop them below.
I'm always happy to help.
And don't forget to rate and subscribe.
Happy cooking!
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