Steve-O Makes Beans and Rice

This is my husband, Steve-O.

Everyone who has ever tried my husband's beans and rice has said something to this effect: "These are the best beans I've ever had!" or "I didn't know beans could actually taste good!"  So, for this blog entry I will show you how to make his easy yet ridiculously yummy recipe for beans that he has been perfecting over the years.  The rice part involves "cook some rice" so I'll mostly focus on the beans.

Steve normally makes the beans every other week or so and we store them in the fridge for the following week.  We have them for dinner when we don't feel like cooking and I take them to school for lunch.  I never get sick of these beans and rice.

Ingredients

Beans:
2 cups of beans (pinto or black, today we will be using pinto)
5 cups water (plus a little bit more, if necessary)
1/2 - 1 onion
4 - 5 cloves garlic
1/2 Tbsp dried epazote or 1 sprig fresh epazote (optional)

3 - 5 chipotle peppers from a can of La Costeña chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Steve will not use any other brand of chipotle peppers.

Beans and Rice:

Some rice, cooked (I like basmati best)
The beans you just finished cooking
salt and pepper, to taste
Whatever else you want (we like to add sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, salsa, and shredded cheddar cheese, maybe some fresh cilantro sprinkled on top)

Tools

Chopping devices, garlic press (unless you want to chop the garlic), a large pot for boiling, a rice cooker, and a slow cooker.


Bean Cooking Time!
1)  Add the 4 1/4 cups water to the large pot, cover, and heat with stove on high.  Also, turn the slow cooker on high.  This allows it to heat up before you add the boiling beans.
2)  Pick any rocks out of the beans.  Steve does this by dumping the beans onto a silicon baking sheet, removing the rocks, and then folding up the sheet and dumping the beans into the colander.

3)  Rinse the beans in a colander.
4)  By now the water from the pot should be boiling. Add the beans to the pot, turn down the heat to keep at a low boil.  Cover and let these boil until you are done chopping up the veggies.
5)  Chop the onion and add it to the slow cooker.

6)  Take out the chipotle peppers from the can, chop off the tops, removed the seeds, and chop into small pieces.  Add the peppers and the tablespoon of adobo sauce to the slow cooker.

Split open the chili.

Remove the seed pod.

Remove any lingering seeds.

7)  Use the garlic press or chop the garlic and add it to the slow cooker.  This is also the time to add your epazote, if you wish.  Epizote adds a nice flavor to the beans, and is also considered a carminative spice, meaning that... well... it keeps you from stankin' up the room.  If you are using dried epazote, avoid any stems.  If you are using fresh epazote, remove the sprig after the beans are cooked.

8)  Pour the boiling pot of beans and water into the slow cooker, stir, and cook on high until tender.  This usually takes about 3-4 hours.  If you don't have enough water to cover the beans, or if the water evaporates before the beans are finished, add a little bit more, but not too much, because you don't want to dilute the flavor.  Stir the beans every hour or so.

Before

Cooking...

DONE! 

Now for the "and Rice" part
9)  While the beans are cooking, throw two cups of basmati rice and three cups of water into your rice cooker and cook.

8)  When both the beans and the rice are finished, you can do what you want with them, really.  But I'll show you how I like to prepare them.  You'll need some shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, salsa, and either Greek yogurt or sour cream.  I ran out of yogurt, so I'm using sour cream.

9)  First, put some of the rice in a bowl, and cover it with shredded cheese.  I put the shredded cheese below the beans so it will melt easier.  

10)  Then I put the beans on top, add some salsa, a dollop of sour cream, and garnish with chopped cilantro.

YUMMY!

11)  EAT!!!! YUM!