Sausage, Rice & Beans

This is a cheap and easy, but not fast, dinner.  I enjoy making dinners like this because I only use one dish, can catch up on some cooking shows and have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

4 cups stock (any flavor or water)

2 cups brown rice

1 cups dried azuki beans (any bean is fine, but these cook around the same rate as rice, making it easier)

7 sausages, cut to 1 in pieces (adjust number for your audience - we used a pack of andouille chicken sausage from costco)

1 large can diced tomatoes (I use a quart of home canned)

1 can corn (I use a pint of home canned)

1 diced pepper (any pepper is fine, we used a Serrano with the seeds removed)

1/4 cup of taco seasoning

Directions

1. Optional - soak rice & beans the night before in water with a Tbs. of acid (vinegar, whey, lemon juice, etc.) to break down some indigestibles.
2. Bring stock or liquid to a boil in a large pan.  Add rice and beans and bring to a boil again before reducing the heat to as simmer.
3. Add tomatoes (and juices), corn, pepper & seasoning.
4. Add sliced sausages and let cook until rice and beans are tender.  Stir occasionally.

This takes a little longer than cooking brown rice - 45 minutes to an hour - so it's not a fast recipe.  

BUT...it's convenient.  I go into the living room and watch an episode of Jamie at Home or Dharma & Greg or Chuck's Day Off and I complete a new step during each commercial break, then make sure to check in on it and stir during each commercial break.  It's a really hands off dinner.  When we have the supplies, I like to serve it up with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, shredded cheese and a spoonful of sour cream.

AND...it's cheap.

• 4 cups Stock: 0.00 (Homemade Chicken) to 3.99 (organic)
• 2 cups Brown Rice: 1.33 (generic) to 3.59 (organic)
• 1 cup Azuki Beans: 0.95 (bulk bin) to 1.25 (organic canned)
• 7 Sausages:  2.66 (costco) to 6.99 (organic)
• Diced tomatoes: 0.01 (garden from seed) to 1.99 (organic)
• Corn: 0.01 (garden from seed) to 1.25 (organic)
• Pepper: 0.01 (garden from seed) to 0.60 (organic)
• Taco Seasoning - I'll throw in 0.10 for the seasoning

Drumroll...

6 large servings - as little as 0.84 per serving, as much as 3.29 per serving for entirely organic/upscale ingredients.  A little more with the cheese/cilantro/sour cream addition.