Beans and Rice Experiment: Day 3

I think I've hit a wall! I write this after completing 2 days of this challenge to eat Beans and Rice for 7 days.  Two days doesn’t sound like much, but when you have actually eaten beans and rice for the last 6 meals like I have, you start thinking “Is it over yet?” For those of you who haven’t been following along with my journey, click here to read Day 2 which also includes a link back to Day 1 of this project.  In a nutshell, hundreds of people at my church are accepting a challenge to eat rice and beans this week and donate to the poor the money we would have spent on groceries and eating out.  Our mantra is “Eat Less, Give Life!”

The meals were enjoyable in some cases, and o.k. in others, but at this point my body is asking “are we done with this yet?” They warned us that we’d start feeling like this on Wednesday, but I experienced it a day early. If I didn’t have sour cream, I’d really be lost.  It has become an essential food group to this beans and rice diet, and melted cheese is the equivalent of Häagen-Dazs icecream right now.

Last night’s dinner was Frijoles Negros, which took forever to make and didn’t quite live up to the expectation. 8 hours of soaking beans, 4 hours of cooking.  It sat overnight in the fridge, and by the time dinner rolled around I was actually eager to eat it. After the first few bites, I kind of enjoyed it. Then I got quickly full, or more like sick of eating it. The sour cream and fresh sliced tomatoes I had on hand got me over the hump, so I could finish it.  I started thinking about people who only have beans and rice to exist on, and maybe only for 1 meal a day.  No condiments, no seasoning, nothing to jazz it up a bit, and they are grateful for that one meal which might mean the difference between life and death.

Just in case you want to try this delicacy for yourself, I’ve printed the recipe and directions for you below:

Frijoles Negros (black beans) are a staple of Mexican cuisine.  This vegetarian black beans recipe is flavorful, simple to prepare, and makes a great meal.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb dried black beans
• 1 green bell pepper, halved and seeded
• 6 cups of water
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup of dry white wine
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Preparation: 

• Soak the beans with one half of the green pepper in water for 8 hours or overnight.
• After soaking, bring the beans, pepper, and water to boil. Then immediately turn heat to simmer and cook for 1 and 1/2 hours on simmer, or until beans are almost tender.
• Prepare a sauce, called sofrito, by combining the other half of the green bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, bay leaf, and a little of the cooking water in a blender.  Blend on low until mixture is smooth.
• Add the sofrito to the beans.  Bring to a boil again.  Then reduce heat to a simmer.
• Add salt, wine, vinegar, and sugar.  Continue to simmer uncovered until bean mixture becomes thick, about 2 hours.
• Add olive oil immediately before serving and serve over rice.

Wish me luck as I continue this journey.  I’m so excited today is Thursday because I get to eat “normal”.  I had scheduled a business breakfast meeting, lunch meeting, and dinner event, so I'm opting out of the challenge for today only. Then it’s back to beans and rice through next Sunday. I am encouraged by the others in this experiment with me, and their recipes, as well as the daily facts and devotional reading we receive from Church. Click here for Day 2′s reading.

Comment below, or reach out to me on Twitter (@loritwilliams) and use #eatlessgivelife, or post to my Facebook wall.