My last personal challenge was kind of expensive. So I thought I’d try to be thriftier by giving myself a Rice and Beans Challenge. Here’s what I came up with:

Day 1 – Gallo Pinto, Costa Rican Black Beans and Rice, with Soft Scrambled Eggs.

Day 2 – Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

Day 3 – Lebanese Beef Chili, with Lebanese Rice.

Day 4 – Rajma Masala, Indian Kidney Bean Curry.

Day 5 – Lubia Polo, Persian Green Beans and Rice.

Day 6 – Prik King, Thai Stir-Fried Green Beans, with Pork amd Kaffir Leaf.

Day 7 – Beef and Peppers in Black Bean Sauce, over Rice Noodles.

Day 7.5 – Siopao, Filipino Steamed Buns, made with Rice flour and filled wirh Sweet Red Bean Paste.

Things I learned: It’s okay to use canned beans sometimes. After work, starting a pot of beans from dry, I found myself eating dinner at 10 at night. Or worse, eating semi-uncooked beans, which apparently can cause food poisoning in some cases. (Did not happen to me, but my stomach was not tip-top after undercooked kidney beans.) When I finally made the choice to use canned, my world changed.

It was kind of fun to take the simple, money saving idea of Rice and Beans, and thinking about it in different ways. It doesn’t have to be boring. As you can see, you can go in alot of different directions.