Disaster at local shop?

Question

Local shop has let down at last minute, dinner thrust upon me and chili is now no go.

This is what I have...

Brown Rice
Red Onion
Onions
Garlic
Peppers - Orange/Red/Yellow
Carrots
Leek
Chopped Tomatos (Tinned)
Red Kidney Beans (Tinned)
Chickpea Beans (Tinned)
Pinto Beans (Tinned)

and last but not least Mixed salad containing Rocket / Watercress & Spinach!

What the heck can I do with all that in about an hour!!!

Please help, I'd give the best answer all my 700 odd points for help right now!!!

:o(

Oh and some brocoli

and she's on a strict diet that means I can't do my usual escape clause of pasta or anything else remotely fattening.

Answer 1

Don't panic. Start the rice cooking right away, while you prepare your veggies. Peel and cut up your veggies and crush some garlic.

Lightly saute the onions and garlic in a little olive oil until the onion goes transparent. Add teh chopped carrots, peppers and leek and let it cook gently for about 5 min while you drain the tinned beans. Test for it being done enough - it should be still crisp but not actually crunchy.

Put it all (not the rice yet) in a pot with also the tomatoes and cook it gently for about 20 min, stirring frequently with the lid off. You don't say how many people you are feeding but if it is only a few you might not need to use all the beans.

I'm assuming you have some spices. Try adding some paprika and a little cumin as well as chilli to make your dish a bit more exotic.

Serve it all over rice and with the salad on the side.

If you have any plain yoghourt in the fridge serve some of that in a little bowl to put on top. Also chopped coriander would be nice sprinkled over - don't overdo it though.

This won't be too exciting but it should be quite acceptable and after all it is an emergency.

And above all don't stress! Good luck

Answer 2

The easiest thing to do is stuffed peppers on a bed of brown rice and you can have the salad on the side if you fancy it.

Pre-heat the over to gas mark 4, and half and de-seed two of the peppers, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and mixed herbs and soy sauce and put them in the oven.

In the meantime put your rice to cook, and in a frying pan, fry your red onion, leek, garlic, carrots, the other pepper and onion when these are soft either add half the can or the whole can of red kidney beans and the chopped tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes or until the juice from the tomatoes has nearly reduced. Then take the peppers out of the oven as they should have started to go soft and spoon the mixture into them, and cook for 20 minutes or until the peepers are very soft. Once the peppers are done, serve them on the bed of brown rice and there you have it

Answer 3

Remove the liquid from the tinned beans and tomatos. Place in a bowl.

Saute the garlic.

Remove 1/2 the garlic and add to the beans/tomato mixture. Squish everything together until it forms a paste the texture of guacamole and/or Hummus. Serve the bean mixture as an appetizer to be spread/dipped with Bread, pita, crackers, chips, etc.

Cut the fresh vegetables into bite size pieces. Add it to the other 1/2 of the sauteed garlic. Continue to sautee. Add a bit of soy sauce and sugar. You can add any other type of asian sauce you have around the house and call it a STIR FRY! Serve steaming hot over Brown Rice

The mixed salad can be served as that, a mixed salad.


TADA! Dinner in less than an hour!

Answer 4

A mixed bean salad. Drain and rinse the kidney beans, chickpeas, and pintos; throw in a little red onion and grated carrot, a few chopped peppers, and dress it with a vinaigrette. (Am hoping you have oil and vinegar...?)

Leek + onions + garlic + peppers + brown rice = pilaf.

http://www.ehow.com/how_12758_make-basic-rice.html

Sauté your onions, throw in the tin of tomatoes with the juice, simmer for a bit, and you have a decent soup.

The mixed greens are easy. You could have them plain; you can also chop in some red onion and bell peppers. That said, rocket, watercress, and spinach are all fine heated. You could 'wilt' them with a hot dressing -- vinaigrette, again, but it'd also be good to dump some of the tinned tomatoes, heated up a bit, on top.

You do buy good stuff...

Answer 5

You could just turn this into a mixed bean dish, fry onions, garlic, peppers, add the different types of beans & tomatoes, and serve it on the rice with a side salad. If you have any chilli powder or other seasonings in the cupboard just experiment a bit.

Either that or ignore the beans completely, cook some rice, fry onions, garlic, carrot, and leek, add tomatoes, and stir into cooked rice, add salt & pepper & any other suitable seasoning. Microwave the peppers for a minute or so, chop the tops off, scoop out seeds, brush with oil, stuff with rice, place in a baking dish with a little water around the bottom and bake till tender.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Wow. I know you are stressed. Okay, here's what I can think of:

Vegetable soup, using tomatoes with juice from the can as a base and adding the veggies and beans that you thing would be good in it. You can add some rice to the soup as well. Do this during the last 20 minutes of simmering. Serve a salad on the side.

You could make a vegetable fried rice. Cook your rice until very dry. (The ratio of water to rice is 2:1. Bring salted water to a boil, add rice and turn heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes until moisture has all evaporated.) Saute your onions, peppers, garlic and carrots in butter or oil until soft. Add your rice and saute together for about 5 minutes. Serve salad on the side.


Good luck to you!

Answer 7

Wonderful!

Boil rice
Meanwhile, fry onion with garlic, leek and orange pepper
Add tin tomatos
Add whichever beans you fancy (or she's most likely to fancy). I'd go for chick peas
Add chopped carrot.
Cook til rice is ready and/or carrot is cooked.
You don't mention seasoning- you must have something. I'd go for salt and pepper with chilli/ bouillon/ tamari. A bit of vinegar can be good. Marmite (a little) if you've nothing else.
Mixed salad on the side!!

Good luck!

Answer 8

Cook your brown rice with the chopped tomatoes and water. Add some seasonings. Saute the onions, garlic, peppers, and broccoli. Mix together with rice.

Use your mixed salad, shred some carrot, chop some red onion and mix in rinsed chickpeas.

Answer 9

I'd start out with the salad mix. Then for the meal make beans & rice (since you have plenty of both), and steamed/sauteed veggies using the peppers, carrots and broccoli.

Or you can have soup and salad. Use the salad mix, and make a soup/stew with the beans, veggies, rice, etc.

Hope this helps!

Answer 10

Cook the beans and throw them over the rice. Sautae peppers, onion, and peppers for a grilled veggie sidedish and put the tomato into the salad. (i'm sure u have dressing) Viola, a 2 course meal