Our days, as of late, are oozing into “lazy day” territory with pajamas well into noon. The 4:00 hunger pangs have been catching me by surprise and at that point its quick and easy or eating out. So…
We’ve been doing some really basic dinners that consist of a grain, a bean and a vegetable. I try to keep cooked beans (black, chickpeas) stocked in the fridge, but yesterday I was totally unprepared. I went for a quick cooking bean, brown rice and the green beans that we had left in the fridge. The rice went into its loving rice cooker and the green beans got sautéed in a little olive oil.
The navy beans went into a small pot with some water and I put them on medium-high, instantly being taken back to summer days as a kid. My mom would leave food in the slow-cooker and my sisters and I were charged with cooking rice and beans to go with. We, of course, being the kids that we were, would completely forget to put on rice and beans and would start them way too late and way too high often times filling the house with the smell of burnt.
Yesterday’s pot of beans was more successful, thankfully, with a dollop of basil puree added. The green beans took a squeeze of lemon to complete our simple and flavorful little dinner. It took all of 20 minutes of hands-on time and little patience.
Strangely enough, these simple meals are my husband’s favorites and with the right ingredients on-hand these simple dinners can be turned into fancy mini-feasts. A handful of fresh herbs, a sprinkling of the right cheese or a simple vinaigrette have been doing the trick.
Enjoy your summer days – lazy or otherwise.
Be kind. Be patient. Eat well.
aneelee 