SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Let's say you want to store some cheap and good
food for SHTF. Rice and beans is usually the first
thing that comes to mind.

So you store a bunch in 5 gallon buckets and
sealed mylar bags.

Then TSHTF and you need to start eating it. :fan:

BUT...

The grocery stores are empty and you cannot get fresh
onions, green peppers, garlic and other ingredients
that make it taste any good.

Plus, you live in the "high desert" where the
only agriculture is ranches (no veges). You can't
just see the local farmer for your onions.

:banghead:

How do you prepare for this?

What recipes are good for SHTF Rice and Beans?

What spices and ingredients can be bought and
stored away to replace fresh onions, peppers, etc?

Thanks in advance for your input. :ok: :banana:

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Good idea.

I guess you don't need green peppers.
Heck, they don't even make "dehydrated
green peppers."

But, you could buy some canned peppers.

:565:

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Buy a cookbook like and go through it to make a shopping list for spices, dehydrated veggies and other ingredients you might need and buy those to store, too.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Seriously?? Yes, they DO have dehydrated peppers. And you can make your own as well.

You really should do some research and look at places like Waltonfeed.com and beprepared.com to see what all they sell in long term storage containers.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

If you want to stretch your food supply, then what I have found effective is to buy canned soups and stews and reconstitute rice or pasta in them.
A Can of chunky chicken and vegetable soup, mixed with one half can multigrain rice and one can water, simmered for 25 minutes will fill 2 adult men. Total cost @ $2.00

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Cool.

Thanks. I'll check those out. :ok:

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

grow pepper an cure them your self ,,,,,, we hang them in the shed

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Great idea.

I actually have a book like this.

Need to find it and make a shopping list! :biggrin:

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Terrible soil around here.

Not much water. :bear_cry:

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

PEPPER DONT NEED MUCH

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

I AM MAKING A BIG POT OF bean soup tonight for tommorrow , they are in a slow cooker an a big ham bone with lot of ham still on the bone an a onions an sea salt an black pepper pinto beans ,,,,, corn bread tomorrow an some fried potatoes ,,,, dam fine eating ps an some green onions too

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

A few thoughts re: where to buy cheap spices.....

A local Sam's Club or Costco should have them in 1-2# containers, fairly cheap.
If you have a GFS (Gordon Food Services) in your area, they've also got bulk spices.

Shop around - sometimes you'll run into good deals at regular grocery stores.

My mostest favoritestestestest (!) place to get stuff like this would be Butcher & Packer ( http://www.butcher-packer.com/ ). They've got a huge variety of spices, normally shipped in barrier plastic bags (sometimes ziploc style). NOTE that for long term storage of spices, I'd recommend that you repack these into mylar pouches with oxygen absorbers. The spice aromas will penetrate normal plastic bags pretty easily, telling me that they're losing flavor over time.

Some spices that will help the variety of rice & beans include:
salt
black pepper
smoked paprika or chipotle pepper
chili powder
oregano
cumin
onion
garlic
dried beef/chicken/pork bouillon powder

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Plant a rosemary bush somewhere around your house.

Grows easily and quickly - hearty and tasty

http://www.foodreference.com/html/artrosemary.html

---

" In growing rosemary, be sparing with water. The biggest cause of death in rosemary is overwatering. Because of its adaptation to those warm, dry hills of the Mediterranean, rosemary just doesn’t like wet feet. This herb is also susceptible to a mildew-like fungus which often appears when rosemary is overwatered, especially from sprinklers. "

---

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Was checking these out http://www.butcher-packer.com/index....ort=20a&page=2
I know beans, rice etc. are dried all the way. What problems happen when storing items in mylar w/ oxy absorbers if there is any moisture left in the item? Will it not 'mold' or is the oxy absorber an item that will take care of that problem?


Thanks for all the links guys. good stuff here.:elefant:

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Not to be facetious. But, it may be time to move?

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Plant edible landscaping. Rosemary is a pretty plant that lives about 20 years and is excellent for dry conditions and poor soil. It actually prefers sandy soil (although it is tolerant of most soils) and is very drought tolerant. Our rosemary plants thrived even through we never watered them during a summer drought of 120 days without rain and more than 90 of those days over 100 degrees!

Rosemary adds great flavor and contains substances that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving digestion. Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks. In addition, rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, improving concentration. So it seems to me that a rosemary makes an excellent and easy to grow addition to the garden.

*edit* Oops! longjohnsilver beat me to it! looks like I should have read further!

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

If you store low acidity moist foods in a non-oxygen environment, you might get to experience the glories of botulism. I believe (but am not certain) that this depends on the pH, moisture level ("water activity"), and storage temperature.

I only mylar pack stuff that is nice & dry.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Bump for Avalon

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Makes 8 servings
Low-Fat!Prep: 10 min; Cook: 1 hr 45 min; Stand: 5 min

Dried beans are usually simmered, rather than boiled, during the longest part of the cooking time because boiling the beans for too long can cause them to fall apart.

1 cups dried kidney beans (8 ounces), sorted and rinsed
3 cups water
2 ounces salt pork (with rind), diced or 3 slices bacon, cut up
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium green bell peppers, chopped (1 cup)
1 cup uncooked regular long grain rice
1 teaspoon salt

1. Heat beans and water to boiling in 3-quart saucepan. Boil uncovered 2 minutes; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until tender (do not boil or beans will fall apart).

2. Drain beans, reserving liquid. Cook salt pork in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.

3. Add enough water to bean liquid, if necessary, to measure 2 cups. Add bean liquid, salt pork mixture, rice and salt to beans in 3-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring once or twice; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 14 minutes (do not lift cover or stir); remove from heat. Fluff with fork. Cover and let steam 5 to 10 minutes.

*One can (15 to 16 ounces) red kidney beans (drained and liquid reserved) can be substituted for the dried kidney beans. Omit water and step 1.

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Serving (about 3/4 cup):; Calories 150 (Calories from Fat 35); Fat 4g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 360mg; Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 4g % DAILY VALUE:; Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 14%; Calcium 2%; Iron 8% DIET EXCHANGES:; 1 Starch; 2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat

Slow Cooker Directions: Increase water to 3 1/4 cups. Use 1 1/3 cups uncooked instant rice. Mix all ingredients except rice in 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat setting 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Stir in rice. Cover and cook on high heat setting 15 minutes. Stir well.

Hoppin’ John: Substitute 1 cup dried black-eyed peas for the kidney beans. Omit bell pepper.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

thanks! thats it!

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Baked Rice and Chilies

Makes 6 servings
Prep: 5 min; Cook: 20 min; Bake: 30 min

1 cups uncooked regulard long grain rice
2 cups water
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack-Colby cheese (2 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt
2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chilies, drained
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

1. Heat rice and water to boiling in 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes (do not lift cover or stir) or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice with fork.

2. Heat oven to 350�.

3. Mix all ingredients except 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until heated through. During last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted.

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Serving:; Calories 280 (Calories from Fat 125); Fat 14g (Saturated 8g); Cholesterol 45mg; Sodium 600mg; Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 9g % DAILY VALUE:; Vitamin A 14%; Vitamin C 22%; Calcium 16%; Iron 8% DIET EXCHANGES:; 2 Starch; 3 Fat

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Curried Rice

Curry powder is not a single spice, as many believe, but a blend of up to twenty spices. Hot, mild and Madras are the types commonly available at most large supermarkets.

1 cups uncooked regular long grain rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
1 tablespoon finely chopped onions
1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup chopped pimientos or ripe olives

1. Heat rice and water to boiling in 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice with fork; set aside.

2. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in butter about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in curry powder, salt and pepper.

3. Stir onion mixture into hot rice. Sprinkle with almonds and olives.

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Serving (about 3/4 cup):; Calories 280 (Calories from Fat 100); Fat 11g (Saturated 4g); Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 410mg; Carbohydrate 42g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 5g % DAILY VALUE:; Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 12% DIET EXCHANGES:; 2 Starch; 2 Vegetable; 2 Fat

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Skillet Baked Beans

Makes 4 servings
Prep: 15 min; Cook: 25 min

Great cooks have been doctoring up convenience foods for a long time, creating their own personal touch. We�ve done it here with canned beans - it�s so easy!

3 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 (15-ounce) cans pork and beans
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1. Cook bacon and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed.

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Serving (about 1 cup):; Calories 255 (Calories from Fat 45); Fat 5g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 1,290mg; Carbohydrate 51g (Dietary Fiber 12g); Protein 14g % DAILY VALUE:; Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 8%; Calcium 8%; Iron 14% DIET EXCHANGES:; 3 Starch; 1 Vegetable

Easy Oven Baked Beans: Heat oven to 350�. After boiling mixture in step 2, pour into ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered about 40 minutes.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Pig Fried Rice

Makes 4 servings
Fast! Prep: 15 min; Cook: 10 min

Using cold, slightly dried-out rice (day-old rice is perfect) is essential for successful fried rice because it allows the grains to stay separate during frying - no mushy fried rice!

1 cups bean sprouts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms (3 ounces)
3 cups cold-cooked regular or long-grain rice
1 cup cut-up cooked pork
2 medium green onions,sliced (2 tbsp)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Dash of white pepper

1. Rinse bean sprouts with cold water; drain.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat; rotate skillet until oil covers bottom. Cook mushrooms in oil about 1 minute, stirring frequently, until coated.

3. Add bean sprouts, rice, pork and onions. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring and breaking up rice, until hot.

4. Move rice mixture to side of skillet. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to other side of skillet. Cook eggs in oil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until eggs are thickened throughout but still moist. Stir eggs into rice mixture. Stir in soy sauce and white pepper.

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Serving (about 1 cup):; Calories 345 (Calories from Fat 125); Fat 14g (Saturated 3g); Cholesterol 135mg; Sodium 740mg; Carbohydrate 37g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 19g % DAILY VALUE:; Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 4%; Iron 16% DIET EXCHANGES:; 2 Starch; 2 Medium-Fat Meat; 1 Vegetable

Lighter Pork Fried Rice: For 7 grams of fat and 265 calories per serving, decrease pork to 1/2 cup and finely chop. Use nonstick skillet and omit oil in step 4. Substitute 1/2 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product for the eggs.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Soybean and Rice
Makes 12 servings
Low-Fat! Prep: 15 min; Stand 1 hr; Cook: 3 hr

1 cups uncooked soybeans (8 ounces), sorted and rinsed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small green bell peppers, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can ready-to-serve chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain rice
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1. Heat soybeans and enough water just to cover beans to boiling in 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven. Boil uncovered 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour; drain.

2. Stir in 2 cups water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes or until soybeans are tender (do not boil or beans will fall apart); drain.

3. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion, bell pepper and garlic in oil 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in broth, oregano, red pepper and bay leaves. Heat to boiling. Stir in rice; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

4. Stir in soybeans and tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves.

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Serving (about 1/2 cup):; Calories 150 (Calories from Fat 55); Fat 6g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 210mg; Carbohydrate 17g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 10g % DAILY VALUE:; Vitamin A 2%; Vitamin C 10%; Calcium 6%; Iron 16% DIET EXCHANGES:; 1 Starch; 1 Medium-Fat Meat

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

SHTF Spartan Recipe

Whole wheat kernals, you can do a lot with them,
red hard wheat is my favorite and it isn't even
SHTF time, fills you up, makes you strong,
lasts a long time after cooking.

recipe, simple
Take a pot big pot and put 1 lb of red hard wheat kernals in.
Roughly 8-10 cups.
Fill with water, rinse, wash, stir, dump, gets rid of leftover dry stuff.
Refill with water.
Add sea salt.
Bring to boil for a few minutes then leave on low
for a while, taste to test, how soft do you want it,
like doing pasta, watch the pot for boil over.
As long as the heat and steam is out,
you can put it in the fridge and it lasts a long time.
Just heat up with some water and I use butter too.
With butter it is great, in morning, noon or night.
Fast and filling, good for you and cheap.
In SHF, you can soften it just by soaking for a long time,
like beans, moderate heat, easy, try it.
I pump some iron too, I could swear it helps me.

I would be interested to get some feedback from
someone that tried it. Don't be chickens.:biggrin:

This is my recipe, nobody I know does this.
Even my parents think I am crazy and they are
big on beans, lentils and rice.

I got this from Church recipe, it is a treat given out.
They don't use red hard wheat, but regular, softer,
fully cooked, in small 2 oz cup,
and they cover it with powdered sugar and maybe
some almond covered mints, given out to people
in honor of their dead at church, and funerals,
poor country and poor farmers, that is all they had to give out,
no store bought candy, that was their candy,
this tradition goes way back to pagan times.
The wheat being used may be cause of
Demeter and Persephone, but people forgot that.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Any other whole wheat kernel recipes
other than milling and baking ?

Whole barley is thrown in soup sometimes.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

I've eaten the whole wheat the way you describe. It's actually not bad.

It is very good with milk and brown sugar on top served hot or cold for breakfast.

I have also made a simple recipe of hard red wheat, red lentils and curry powder when camping. I cooked it over a pack stove by heating it to a boil, stirring, then letting it sit for an hour or two (maybe wrap the pot in a towel or something to keep it hot. Then bringing it back to a boil letting it sit for awhile to cool a bit and then eating it. Not the best tasting but it is cheap, light and doesn't take up much space in your pack. If you are camped in one place you could soak the wheat ahead of time to soften it up a bit more.

I suppose a similar recipe done with rice would be tastier and cook a bit faster as well.

I have plenty of hard red wheat stored. It has so many uses. Cooking plain, grinding for various baked goods and sprouting. Plus it stores very well.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

From Rita Bingham's book, Country Beans:

1/2 cup each coarsely gound white bean flour, wheat flour, brown rice flour (the texture should be coarse, like commercial cream of wheat.)

Add 1/2 c mix to 2 c warm water and 1/2 t. salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with milk and honey and a little vanilla.

I've actually tried this for breakfast and it is quite tasty. And notice the complete proteins.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

IMO, 9 tenths of the battle will be to make things the people there LIKE to eat. As time goes by, and as I find recipes and figure out how to make them best, at the same time I am looking at them from a perspective of how could I adjust it so that I could make this from what I have stored or is there something I should be storing that I am not.

This means having recipes flexible to use dried or fresh amounts of ingredients like garlic, onion, etc, that in good times you might buy fresh, but in a SHTF scenario, you might not be able to get them, and need to substitute in dried from your stocks instead.

Ever tried making chili and serving it over rice? That's good eats to me...

I like the sites that have recipes with reviews so you don't end up wasting time and food on failed experiments. allrecipes.com and epicurious.com have reviews. Make sure to actually READ the reviews rather than just choosing the recipe with high ratings, LOL, because people seem to give high ratings to things that still need lots of help.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...d/Melindas.jpg

Purchase a case.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Here is the beans and rice recipe I made today

1 lb polish sausage (loose or sliced 3/16")
1 lg onion chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 tsp creole seasoning
2 tsp dried basil
6 pieces bacon chopped
1/4 cup water
6 cups water (to deglaze)
Brown in frying pan 20 min, then add 6 cups water to deglaze pan, and pour into crockpot with beans and other ingredients

1 lb dried beans soaked overnight
1 green pepper chopped
1 hot pepper chopped fine
1 tsp hot sauce
3 bay leaves
2 tsp chicken bullion
1 cup chopped tomatoes
Cook covered in crockpot on low 7 hrs, when ready to start rice, remove 1 1/2 cups liquid to a saucepan, cool a bit and whisk in 3 tbsp flour till smooth, then heat and add liquid as needed maybe 5-10 min till floury taste/texture gone, then whisk back into crockpot, salt/pepper to taste at this point and then simmer another 20 min while you cook the rice.

serve over rice with hot sauce

came out excellent! consider making 1/2 a batch because it looks like this made enough for 12 to 16 servings


In a SHTF scenario I'd need to use rehydrated beef jerky in place of bacon and sausage and dried onions, peppers, garlic and tomatoes if available, skipping the frying pan completely

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

While they are not do-it-yourself here's some pre-mixed rice-and-bean combos from zatarains.com that I've recently re-discovered. They used pre-cooked, dehydrated beans and only take ~1/2 hour to prepare. Plus they are delicious.

At ~$2.50 a box they are far cheaper than anything I can buy fast food and each box makes enough for two meals. While the serve-by dates on the boxes are only a couple years, I bet vacuum sealing the inner packages with O2 absorbers would increase the shelf life to many years.

Now I need to get motivated to figure out how to make this at home for probably 1/4th the cost of buying it. Then maybe I'll have some preps I'll actually eat on a daily basis so I can rotate them like I'm supposed to.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

ive made this twice this week. i add 1 cup cooked rice to make it more like a jambalaya. sausage could be exchanged with any other meat, seafood or game. i also dont add water and use 14oz broth instead


Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, undrained
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
* 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth
* 1/2 cup chunky salsa
* 1/2 cup water
* 12 ounces beef sausage
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the oil, onions and garlic. Saute for 8 minutes, or until tender. Add the beans, tomatoes with liquid, broth, salsa and water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Cut sausage into 1/2 inch slices and stir into soup. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with cilantro.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

OK, this is to address the 'dehydrated onion' thing.

My wife likes french onion dip with potato chips.

So, she takes Lipton French Onion Soup mix and separates the dehydrated onions from the dried soup mix part.

You add the dehydrated french onion soup mix to sour cream and you have french onion dip.

I keep the dehydrated onions and use them in almost every recipe we have. They work great. And it is using up something that might have been thrown out by someone else.

Here's a few pix to help explain it.

Attachment 88201

Lipton Onion Soup mix, bowl, sifter, jar to keep mix in

Attachment 88202

Open two packets, put into sifter and shake

Attachment 88203

After it's been separated, you have dried onion soup mix and dehydrated onions

Attachment 88204

This is how much three boxes (six packets, two per box) makes

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

I found ham bullion in the store and bought 2 or 3 jars. It will come in real handy if I have no ham or bacon available

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

+1 on the Zatarain's rice-and-beans. We've usually got a dozen or so boxes of various flavors as part of the short-term frequently rotated emergency supplies. For longer term, I've got bags of red and black beans, rice, and spices to make my own, but the Zatarain's is quick and easy. In fact, we had some last night and we've got leftover red beans and rice for dinner tonight. Yummy.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Do a search on eBay for soup recipes. I got a PDF of about 1100 recipes for $1. Add beans and rice as your base and you can make literally hundreds of different dishes using rice and beans. I'll post photos of some of my accoutrements later tonight.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Zatarain's is a staple around our house. Good stuff!

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

it just dawned on me when I reread MFs post on wheat berries. I grew up on that stuff in church. Its the same stuff we pack at the LDS isnt it? I just made the connection.

Here is the Church recipe. Thai stuff is delicious made like this... except I could never eat it for food because it's deeply ingrained you only eat when someone dies.. Anyway here is the recipe. You could skip all the decorative church stuff

Greek Kolyva (koliva) (wheat Berry Memorial Food) Recipe


2 c whole blanched almonds, for decorating .
1 tsp anise seed .
1 1/2 c walnuts, coarsely sliced (6 oz) .
4 c wheat berries (about 1 lb, 6 oz) .

salt .
1 tsp ground cinnamon .
1 1/2 c golden raisins .
silver dragee decorative candies .
1 1/2 c blanched slivered almonds (6 oz) .
1/2 c sesame seeds .
3 c confectioners' sugar, divided (sometimes called icing or powdered sugar)

Directions

Step #1 Rinse the wheat berries & place them In a large-fish saucepan.
Step #2 Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, along with a few pinches of salt.
Step #3 Bring to a boil over med-heat/flame & cook this until the berries are tender & beginning to split but not mushy, about 1 3/4 hrs.
Step #4 (Add more water to the pot when the liquid reduces to the level that the wheat no longer floats, & stir from time to time so the berries don�t stick to the bottom.
Step #5 ) Drain & set aside in the strainer to cool & dry for at least 1 hr or up to several hrs.
Step #6 Place the cooled wheat berries In a large-fish mixing bowl.
Step #7 Add the sesame & anise seeds, cinnamon, walnuts, slivered almonds, raisins, & the pomegranate seeds.
Step #8 Sift in 1 c of the confectioners� sugar & toss it all together.
Step #9 Transfer the mixture to a large platter or tray.
Step #10 Sift the remaining confectioners� sugar over the top to coat it thickly, almost like a frosting.
Step #11 Decorate the top this with the whole almonds & the dragees.
Step #12 To serve, present the platter of decorated kolyva.
Step #13 Then, just before eating, mix it all together.
Step #14 Serves 40.
Step #15 NOTES: Pomegranate is not always in season, but there really is no substitute for the seed in taste, texture, or symbolism.
Step #16 If it is not available, simply omit it.
Step #17 Degrees are available in any well stocked large supermarket, usually in the baking aisle.
Step #18 Kolyva is traditionally prepared the day before the memorial serve, but the wheat berries can ferment if left at about room temp overnight & the sugar can crystallize in a refrigerator�s moist environment.
Step #19 The best pre-preparation method is to boil & put in the fridge the wheat berries ahead of time, then add the other ingredients & decorate the kolyva just before it�s needed.
Step #20 Adventures In Greek Cooking.
Enjoy the Greek Kolyva (Koliva) (Wheat Berry Memorial Food) recipe

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Seeing as how I'm in Asia, I can't buy rice and beans in a can or anything. But one of my favorite meals is rice, soy sauce, tuna and kimchi. Or just plain black beans, rice and kimchi.

Kimchi is pretty interesting stuff. Popular in Eastern Asia, easy to make in bulk and provides flavor, vitamins and minerals to a bland winter diet. It's very popular in Siberia where they eat a lot of root type foods. It's so popular that the Japanese ripped Korea off. The Japanese market it and call it "kimuchi."

It's also very easy to store for long periods where it's cool. Along the lines of where potatoes would keep. They keep it in a glazed, sealed pottery container.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

Obviously mine is a minority opinion, but beans and rice taste fine to me with nothing more than salt.

Now I also like them with onions, and with cured pork fat, whether ham or bacon, or with butter for the rice, or with lard. In green or black-eyed peas a few carrots are nice. Melting some cheese into a hot bowl of beans and rice is good too.

But I would not feel distressed with just salt to go in the beans and rice. The various beans have interesting flavors all their own, though mild, and maybe a bit bland to most people.

We got dehydrated onions, and the idea above of using bullion or dried or canned soups to add a variety of flavors are all good. The only drawback is that all those corporate canned or dried flavorings, or most, have MSG and other nasty chemicals, as does most cured pork in the supermarket. Factory farmed pigs get fed garbage, sad to say, and the toxins, antibiotics, hormones, etc, pass right on to you.

The important thing, if you like beans, is how inexpensively you can put away a lot of calories, including protein. Corn balances the bean protein even better than rice, though the cheap feed store type dried corn takes forever to soften, which is why it was traditionally ground and served as a quick bread on the side rather than just cooked in the beans. Freeze dried corn, which isn't cheap, can be cooked in the beans and save you some steps and still taste good.

In this cold weather we've been making hearty navy bean soup with bacon drippings flavoring, and it has been tasty and satisfying.

The biggest negative of beans in a crisis may be how long they take to cook, which uses a lot of some kind of fuel, which you may be short of. This forum taught me you could boil anything generally needing a lot of fuel, and cook it in a thermos (those wide mouth stainless ones) bringing them to a boil, and putting them in the thermos however many times it took to get done. My estimate is that would save about 90% of the fuel.

We may have plenty of fuel, but some of us may find that to be a limiting factor, if a crisis is severe enough.

(Soaked without heating till chewable is nutritious, but very bland even to me, though it is how you make sprouts, so it is healthy. The seeds start waking up and making enzymes.)

Here's hoping we have no crises so severe that cooking fuel is scarce, and pass through these times of great change as gently as possible. I am grateful that some of the horrors have already been averted or delayed - that deadly flu with forced vaccination was a big dodged bullet, so far, at least, and nukes have not rained on Iran. IMO we need to keep pumping compassion into this world of ours so things can change without so much suffering. Looking back at the 20th century it seems like that should have been enough suffering to count the apocalypse done, and move on. Then our preps can be food bought inexpensively adding to peace of mind rather than something grimmer.

You can grow green onions in a window box and trim bits of them as you need them. They seem to be close to immortal used that way. Just leave them about half their green part when you trim and they recover fine.

Re: SHTF Rice & Beans Recipes?
 

I love kimchi. I like it with rice. Never tried it with beans and rice, though. I also like adding it to soups, with rice or noodles as well. I make my own. Its very expensive in the store to buy compared to the cost to make.