Northwest Rice & Beans Recipe

A few years ago we became concerned about all the chemicals in the meat we were buying at the store - we knew that commercial beef is fed growth hormones, antibiotics, and who knows what else.

So we looked for and found a person who raised chemical-free beef, and started buying a whole or a half beef at a time. It's a great way to know the meat you're eating is "pharm-free" as well as a great way to save money. When calculated by the pound, even the hamburger costs less than it does in the store.

We think it's a great bargain, because organic foods in the store cost extra, and we're getting organic, grass fed beef for far less than we'd pay for commercial beef.

But back to the hamburger - when you buy this way, you get a LOT of it. Especially if you're like my husband and prefer not to get certain cuts. So what to do to avoid complete boredom?

Northwest Rice and Beans is one solution. I even love this stuff warmed up the next day.

This recipe serves 2 hungry people - with enough left over for lunch tomorrow...

Brown about a pound of hamburger - depending upon what you have on hand. I add salt, pepper, and some garlic salt while it's cooking.

Chop up about a half a medium sized onion and brown that with it.

While you're doing that, stick a cup of rice in the rice cooker and let it do its thing. Or, if you're using instant rice, get it ready.

Once the meat and onions are browned, add one can of beans - pinto beans or kidney beans work well. Go ahead and add the broth in with the beans.

Stir that up, then add a can of mushroom soup and one small can of tomato paste. Then stir in your cooked rice.

After you mix it all together, look at it and decide if it needs a bit more liquid so it won't dry up in the oven. If it does, you can use water or (my preference) tomato juice. You want it moist, but not soupy.

Put it in a covered dish or dutch oven and bake it for a half hour to an hour at about 250 degrees. How long you leave it depends upon what else you've got to do before dinner, but if it will be a while, check once in a while to see if you need to add liquid.

About 5 minutes before you plan to take it out of the oven, grate some cheese and spread it on the top. Use a little or a lot to suit your taste.

Why should you choose organically grown beef?

As I mentioned, the chemicals. For starters, you don't know what some of them will do to you. But secondly, we know that the growth hormones are dangerous - especially for children. They contain estrogen, and excess estrogen causes a whole host of problems. I have an article about that on my pharm-free health website, and if you have young children you really should read it.

Wishing you happy and healthy eating...

Marte

www.marte-cliff.com