Impress.
Impress.
Is that what you think of when you think of a potluck dinner? That you have to impress everyone there with your creative meal or dish…made with the finest ingredients!
Will they like it? Will everyone eat it? Will the dish be empty by the time the dinner is over? What if no one eats it and people figure out that it was me who made it?
Been there. Thought that!
But the reality is…very few people, if any, are going to know what you brought to the meal. So tell those thoughts when they come racing to the forefront of your mind when you are trying to decide what to make to find another brain to bother!
A few weeks back, at the end of the January Pantry Challenge, we had an International Potluck, to kick off Missions Week at our church. I was NOT going to run to the store to grab something fun and fancy. I made do!
I made a Rice and Beans dish, seeing how I spent 6 years of my life in a culture where rice and beans were a daily staple. My dish…Dominican Rice and Beans meets some spice! Dominican Rice and Beans tend to be bland…so I gave them a bit of a kick!
Rotel Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice (that had been frozen)
- 2 cups pinto beans (that had been frozen)
- 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Completely thaw brown rice and beans.
- Combine ingredients into a bowl. Stir together. Heat in a microwave or in a saucepan. Serve warm.
P.S. This is also delicious wrapped up as a burrito!!!
Whitney says
Thanks for the recipe – this looks great and sooo frugal. This post reminded me of something else I need ideas for: To me, the only thing scarier than bringing a dish to a potluck is bringing a meal over for someone who is sick or just had a baby. Not only does it have to taste good, but it needs to be easy to transport and reheat. I work, so it also has to be made the night before if I’m going to get it there by dinner. Oh, and it can’t destroy my whole week’s grocery budget. 🙂 I was wondering if you might consider doing a post on these types of meals. (If you haven’t already). I would love to see your ideas and ideas from others!
Amy says
this looks gooood..wow you spent 6 years in the D.R.?! i dont know if maybe i missed a post about this or not but i would be interested in learning about your experiences when you were there eventhough its not food related.
Alta says
So….how did it go over? This is the key part of the story! 🙂 I love the recipe – Rotel makes everything yummy, and what a simple dish. My kind of meal.
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Alta,
It went over well…there was just enough left for me to put some into a burrito for lunch!
Amy says
did you drain the rotel?
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Amy,
Partially, yes.
Crystal says
Would you consider putting ground beef or pork in the rice? This sounds yummy, but my hubby and son only will only go for it if it has meat in it. Thanks!
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Crystal,
Absolutely! Add 1/2 -3/4 lb. of ground meat!
Kai says
I was looking for something to go along with the main meat dish of hot wings and I came across this recipe in my search. Oddly enough, I already had the ingredients on hand. I followed the easy instructions, but added smoked beef sausage and voila my side dish for our Monday potluck! It tastes good to me. I just hope everybody that eats it likes it. Thank you for the recipe.
Julie says
My family and I love beans and we eat them somewhat regularly in recipes. I’ve never tried products like Beano, but am wondering if they help with bean digestion. Or is there something else I can try when I’m preparing them to make them less gassy? They are so healthy and inexpensive, but can cause such discomfort (and other, more embarrassing symptoms!). How do you handle this “challenge?” 😉 Thanks so much!
Lisa says
FRESH garlic added while cooking or reheating the beans helps with those “symptoms” of excess fiber in gut. My Dad is from a Caribbean country and we found this practice used extensively there but not much in the U. S.
Josie says
For tinned beans, I find soaking them for 5 mins and rinsing them thoroughly reduces wind issues a lot – I’m not sure of the science behind it but I’ve also read this elsewhere online. I drain the beans into a colander, leave that to sit in a sink of cold water for 5 minutes, rinse them thoroughly, and sometimes repeat all that with a fresh sink of water. If you’re cooking beans in a separate pan, when you drain them again rinse them in cold water too. Hope that helps!