Happy Sunday everyone! Here in the United States we set the clocks back an hour overnight, so many use the extra time to sleep in. My own internal clock did not change, however, so I'll budget my time well and get my latest entry post up for the @cookwithus latest challenge. This week was all about budget meals.

This was another great theme that I did not want to miss out on! Though a large portion of my personal budget is allotted to food, that does not mean that I spend a lot of money on my meals. I think it is more a reflection on the fact that we rarely eat out in my household, and I don't spend money on a lot of other things so it just looks like the food budget is out of proportion. 😜

I always keep a well-stocked pantry, so even at the end of the week we are able to throw together a healthy meal without having to spend extra money. One of the most cost-effective meals I know of to whip up is a tasty batch of rice and beans. Generally I keep enough dry beans and grains on hand to feed an army. Besides just liking to cook big batches at a time, there is something comforting about looking through my pantry and having such wholesome food at the ready. I think I am bending the rules of the contest just a bit this week as I have a hard time making anything in batches as small as 4 servings, so hopefully @chefsteve, @pandamama and @offoodandart will show a little lee-way since it is more time-effective to cook in bulk. Time is money, right?

I also purchased the veggies for this meal at the farmers market and do not have a receipt to show, but I purchase the items enough that I can tell you exactly what I paid for them. I'll share a few tips for how I save money on some of my pantry staples, as well, just to stick with our cost-saving theme. Let's take a look at what I used this time around:

Whole grains are always present in my pantry. I generally keep 3-4 varieties on hand as they do represent a staple in my weekly meal prep. Buying in bulk definitely saves some money, so often I will buy either larger bags at a discount or look for what may be on sale in the bulk bins. I actually don't use rice as much as some of the other options because I just love farro and some of the other chunkier grains, but it tends to be one of the most budget-friendly options so I thought it would be appropriate here. You can also find it all over the world!

Anyone who thinks eating a vegan diet means spending more money must not realize how inexpensive dried beans are pound for pound (and also by nutritional value) versus their counterparts in the animal protein spectrum. I think my organic black beans generally run somewhere around $2/pound, but when you cook them up that pound turns into multiple servings depending upon how you use them. I buy my beans and lentils in bulk, and often look out for sales since they last for a long time.

Many of you kitchen magicians also know you can buy spices in bulk at many places! I go through so much of certain spices that it really makes sense to save money (and all that packaging that goes into landfills) by purchasing in larger quantities. I generally keep old jars to store them in like the cumin in the picture above. This time of year chili powder, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and ginger dwindles down very quickly from all the warm foods I make to keep our bellies happy in the cooler weather.

Even the sauce was made from some things I always have on hand in the kitchen. We keep a few different types of mustard in the refrigerator at all times, and I pretty much am forever trying to use up a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. Anywhere I can sneak the chilis in I will so that I don't waste them (even if a can is ridiculously cheap to start with). We don't use a ton of maple syrup, but that is always hanging out on the refrigerator, as well.

The only items I specifically bought for this meal were a few fresh veggies. The onions and peppers all run 1 US dollar a piece, which is roughly 1 SBD right now I believe. I also can't resist throwing in some greens with every meal, so the arugula that I included is the high ticket item at $4/bag. The greens at the hydroponic stand are so fresh and delicious that they are worth a little splurge in the budget, and I only used half a bag here. So I think my total comes out to $5 to make 7 solid portions.

Rice & Black Beans with Chipotle Mustard Sauce

Makes about 7 servings

• 1 1/2 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight, then rinsed & drained
• 1 cup long grain brown rice
• 1 medium sweet onion, peeled & chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, cored & chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 cups water or low-sodium veggie broth
• 3 cups roughly chopped leafy greens like arugula, spinach or kale
• 5 tablespoons yellow mustard (actual wet mustard, not the dried spice)
• 1-2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (depends on how spicy you want it)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• water to thin the sauce

Place your onion and bell pepper in a large stockpot and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Add a little water as necessary to prevent sticking and stir occasionally until the vegetables start softening up and the onions turn translucent. Mix in the spices (chili powder thru coriander) and cook for another minute.

The black beans take longer to cook than the rice, so at this point I poured in the water and soaked black beans. Bring just to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and stir in your rice. Cook for an additional 50-55 minutes. The liquid turned out perfectly for me, but you may need to add some more water if it looks like your rice and beans are too dry before they have finished cooking. A little leftover liquid is fine as it will continue to soak up more as it sits after cooking.

Once your rice and beans have cooked thru, remove from heat and stir in the leafy greens. Mix together the mustard, chipotles and maple syrup in a small blender or food processor. Add a few tablespoons of water as needed to thin out or tame down the level of heat in your sauce.

To serve scoop out a portion of the bean mixture into a bowl and drizzle on a little of the sauce. Enjoy!

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