Meatless Monday No. 4: When There is No Food in the House

Before we get into the heart of this post: the meal I made, when there was no food in the house, I am going to ask again that you kindly click over and cast your vote for Vegan Mother Hubbard in the Circle of Moms contest. Over the weekend, I slipped from 3rd to 5th place. It's not a big deal, but I would love it, if you'd share the love with me! Thanks a million! 

Now, the real reason you clicked to read this blog post: the story of my no-food-in-the-pantry meal; the recipe; and the Meatless Monday link up. 

I haven't done a proper grocery shop in over a month. I just have Steve pick up whatever items I need, on his way home from work (almost) everyday. By this past Saturday, things were looking pretty grim at our house. The only vegetables we had were sun-dried tomatoes, some onions, and a little over a pound of carrots. Eek! There were a few cans of beans in the cupboard, some rice, and a limited selection of condiments.

You know what's awesome about that dire situation? I came up with a new, and quite tasty meal for my family. When I started cooking, I knew I'd be making some kind of beans and rice dish, but I wasn't sure exactly what it would be. I began by getting the rice cooking. By the time it was done, the meal was finished. That means, if it's a busy Meatless Monday evening, all you need is enough time to make rice, and you know you have enough time to make this meal! If you are going to add a side of roasted veggies, you'll want to get them in the oven, right after you get the rice cooking, so they have enough time to roast properly.

Creamy Vegan Beans and Rice
for the rice:
1 cup white rice
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup millett or quinoa
1/2 cup chopped, sun-dried tomatoes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 cups water

for the beans:
1 small onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil or vegan butter
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed
1 packet or 6 tbsp of your favorite taco seasoning
1/4-1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegan sour cream (optional)
1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

In a large pot, with a tight fitting lid, or in a rice cooker/steamer, mix all the rice ingredients together. If you're cooking the rice on the stove top, follow the cooking time and instructions on the package of brown rice. If you are using a rice steamer, cook according to the machine instructions. For my rice steamer, I put everything in the pot, close the lid, and press the "cook" button. About 25 minutes later, the rice is ready.

Once the rice was prepped, I peeled and roughly chopped a little over a pound of carrots. I tossed them with a tablespoon of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt. I spread the carrots in a single layer on a baking sheet, and placed in a 425 degree oven. They roasted, while the rice cooked. If I'd had broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, zucchini, or really any other veggies around, I would have roasted those, too.

The last part of this meal is the beans. In a skillet, saute the onion in the oil or butter, over medium heat, until they are softened and just starting to brown. Add the tomato pasted and stir in, to coat the onions. Then add the beans (I used black and pinto), taco seasoning and about 1/4 cup of water. Stir everything together and increase the heat to bring the ingredients to a simmer.

You can stop here and serve the meal. If you prefer a richer dish, lower the heat and stir in the sour cream and nutritional yeast. You may want to add additional water, to reach your desired thickness for the sauce. Serve the beans over the rice, with the veggies on the side.