I finally have enough room for a new savory dish. This week I’m going back to something simple with tried and true recipe: rice and beans. If I want to keep it simple and nutritious, I do this. I’m keeping it simple because we got back from our trip and I don’t want to be cooking something complex. It’s just too much. We had a great time. Tony and I do well in the car together. Other couples don’t. I think one of the reasons we do well is because I try to plan ahead as much as I can. Think there is more conflict when one or both partners doesn’t think ahead. I can think of a story of a friend who was supposed to take a trip with me. This person said they’d meet me at my house at 6pm and we would drive up from there. They never showed at 6pm. I called them and they said they haven’t even packed yet. I was furious. Needless to say, after that trip, I never travelled with them again. When something like that happens, they never get a second chance because they will just do the same thing again.

This week’s recipe comes from Lavender and Macarons for Quick And Easy Mexican Rice And Beans. I like this recipe because it’s canned beans, vegetables and rice. However, canned beans can be high sodium. There are many canned bean varieties that have lower sodium. Just make sure you choose one of those. Or better yet, make beans from scratch. This recipe also contains green olives. I will probably have to reduce the amount to lower the sodium. Otherwise, this looks like a great dish.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I removed the lima beans and made the kidney beans a full can to make thing easier.
• I used a low sodium canned bean to reduce the sodium.
• I replaced the broth with a low sodium variety to reduce the sodium.
• I reduced the olives by half to reduce the sodium.
• I added some tofu to increase the protein.
• I increased the servings from 4 to 7 to lower the calories.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Quick And Easy Mexican Rice And Beans

Serves 7

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion minced
• ½ red bell pepper diced
• ½ yellow bell pepper diced
• ½ green bell pepper diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 can (8 oz) low sodium red kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 14 ounce block of extra firm tofu, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 ¼ c low sodium vegetable stock
• 1 ½ c Basmati rice
• 1/2 c green olives
• ¼ c cilantro chopped

1. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the diced onion and bell peppers to the pot, and sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned.
3. Add the minced garlic, ground paprika, ground cumin, and dried oregano to the pot, and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the broth, rice, beans, tofu and tomato paste. Turn up the heat to high and stir. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. The Mexican Rice and Beans is ready to be served. Serve it with olives and freshly chopped cilantro.