{"id":2115439,"date":"2025-11-08T11:30:35","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T18:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/?p=2115439"},"modified":"2025-11-08T11:30:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T18:30:35","slug":"the-budget-meal-thats-always-trending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/2025\/11\/08\/the-budget-meal-thats-always-trending\/","title":{"rendered":"The Budget Meal That&#8217;s Always Trending"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Date: <b>2025-11-07 21:05:27<\/b><\/p>\n\n<div id=\"wrap_aoa61f3f\" class=\"aoa_wrap \">\n  <iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"750\" height=\"440\"\r\n  \t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"width:750px;height:440px;\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ynevfbcpNdM?enablejsapi=1\"\r\n  \t\t\t\t\tframeborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n    <div id=\"aoa61f3f\" class=\"aoa_overlay \">\n        <div class=\"aoa_content\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\"><img style=\"margin:0 auto;max-height:400px;\" data-src=\"\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n        <span id=\"close_aoa61f3f\" class=\"aoa_close\"><\/span>\n        <a id=\"close_btn_aoa61f3f\" class=\"aoa_close_btn\" onclick=\"setVisibility('aoa61f3f', 'none');\">&times;<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Rice and Beans is the best!  It&#8217;s a basic meal that is always trending and proves why simple, delicious food will never go out of style. This rice and beans recipe is inexpensive, hearty, budget-friendly, and packed with real flavor.  Not to mention it\u2019s a complete plant based protein powerhouse. <\/p>\n<p>Kinvies https:\/\/www.foxyroks.com\/<\/p>\n<p>Who I am: https:\/\/dereksarno.com\/<\/p>\n<p>My Mean, Chef Made, Rice &amp; Beans<br \/>\nTastes like it came out of my restaurant kitchen. If I had another.<\/p>\n<p>Ingredients<br \/>\nFor the Beans<br \/>\n\u2022 1 lb (450g) dried pinto beans, soaked overnight (or longer, refrigerated)<br \/>\n\u2022 1 stick plant-based butter<br \/>\n\u2022 1 bay leaf<br \/>\n\u2022 1 jalape\u00f1o<br \/>\n\u2022 1 onion, diced<br \/>\n\u2022 4\u20135 garlic cloves, minced<br \/>\n\u2022 1\u20132 celery stalks, diced<br \/>\n\u2022 2 tbsp tomato paste<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tbsp cumin seeds, pulverized<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tbsp coriander seeds, pulverized<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tbsp smoked paprika<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tsp garlic granules<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tsp onion granules<br \/>\n\u2022 Salt and pepper, to taste<br \/>\n\u2022 Optional: extra water for simmering<\/p>\n<p>For the Rice<br \/>\n\u2022 1 lb (450g) long-grain brown rice, soaked and rinsed<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tbsp olive oil<br \/>\n\u2022 1 onion, diced<br \/>\n\u2022 4 garlic cloves, minced<br \/>\n\u2022 2 carrot, diced<br \/>\n\u2022 2 celery stalk, diced<br \/>\n\u2022 2 tbsp tomato paste<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tbsp BBQ rub<br \/>\n\u2022 1tbsp each garlic and onion granules<br \/>\n\u2022 Salt and pepper<br \/>\n\u2022 4 cups (approx.) water \u2013 after rice has soaked over night<br \/>\nFor the Tofu<br \/>\n\u2022 1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tbsp oil (optional)<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tbsp BBQ or pork-style seasoning<br \/>\n\u2022 1 tbsp garlic and onion granules<br \/>\nFor Garnish<br \/>\n\u2022 Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped<br \/>\n\u2022 Sliced jalape\u00f1o<br \/>\n\u2022 Nutritional yeast, to finish<\/p>\n<p>Instructions<br \/>\nSoak and Prep<br \/>\nRinse rice and beans well and soak separately for several hours (or overnight). Drain and rinse before cooking.<br \/>\nCook the Beans<br \/>\nAdd soaked beans to a large pot, cover with water about 2 inches above, and bring to a gentle boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until tender. (add more water if it needs or you want more brothy)<br \/>\nFlavor Base for the Beans<br \/>\nIn a skillet, melt the plant-based butter. Add jalape\u00f1o, bay leaf, onion, and garlic; saut\u00e9 until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, and coriander seeds. When aromatic, add this mix to the pot of beans along with the celery and carrots. Simmer on low to build flavor.<br \/>\nRoast the Tofu<br \/>\nCut tofu into small cubes or dices. Toss with oil (optional), smoked paprika, and seasoning. Roast at 375\u00b0F (190\u00b0C) Convection for about 35 minutes, or until Dry, firm and lightly browned.<br \/>\nMake the Rice<br \/>\nHeat oil in a large pan. Saut\u00e9 onion, garlic, carrot, and celery with tomato paste until softened. Add seasonings, and rice. Stir to coat, then add about 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to low heat for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender.<br \/>\nCombine and Finish<br \/>\nWhen beans are rich and thick, stir in roasted tofu. Adjust salt and pepper. Spoon over or beside the rice.<br \/>\nGarnish<br \/>\nFinish with chopped cilantro, sliced jalape\u00f1o, and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for umami and protein.<\/p>\n<p>Chef\u2019s Notes<br \/>\nThe beans thicken as they sit.<br \/>\nAdd more broth or water as needed; this dish is forgiving.<br \/>\nFeel free to change the spice mix: chili powder, oregano, or even curry powder work beautifully.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Date: 2025-11-07 21:05:27 Rice and Beans is the best! It&#8217;s a basic meal that is always trending and proves why simple, delicious food will never go out of style. This rice and beans recipe is inexpensive, hearty, budget-friendly, and packed with real flavor. Not to mention it\u2019s a complete plant based protein powerhouse. Kinvies https:\/\/www.foxyroks.com\/ [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2115440,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2115439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-eating","traffikrr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2115439"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2115441,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115439\/revisions\/2115441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2115440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2115439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2115439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldenhousetucson.com\/chinese-food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2115439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}