Maple Bean and Rice Bowls

January is always a weird month in my corner of the world. Some days it’s freezing, occasionally snowing (so far not this year though), and other days you need to bust out the tank tops and shorts, usually within the same week. NC weather is INSANE! But that’s why I try to keep my running around to warmer days or at least during the warmest part of the day. While I love a good snow day, the cold and rainy weekends we have been having aren’t too fun to be out in.

January is also usually a month of rebuilding savings. Yule and Christmas typically drain most of our bank accounts, so come January we all have to re-evaluate our spending and attempt to work on putting a little back. So cheap eats are always welcomed during such a time! My maple bean and rice bowls are perfect for a cold January night. They are filling, cozy, hearty, and of course cheap.

Maple Bean and Rice Bowls

Makes 4 hearty servings

Ingredients

2/3 cup Dried White Rice

1 1/3 cup Water

1 tablespoon Butter

1 pound Ground Meat (I use turkey)

1/2 Onion, chopped

1 large can (24 or 28 oz, I can’t remember how big, but it’s the big one that isn’t commercial sized) Maple Baked Beans

1/4 cup BBQ Sauce

Add rice and water to a small pot, cook according to directions. Heat 2+ quart pot and melt butter. Add ground meat and cook until almost done then add onions. Cook until onions are soft and add baked beans. Stir in cooked rice and bbq sauce. Heat through, cover and remove from heat for 5 minutes or so for the rice to absorb some of the liquid.

Can easily add in veggies like spinach, mushrooms or bell pepper. Swap the white rice for brown rice or ancient grains to bulk up nutrition. To make vegetarian or vegan, simple ditch the meat or swap for your favorite vegan substitute, swap the butter for a vegan alternative of choice and double check your bean and sauce ingredients.

Until next time my lovelies!

-M

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