Beans and Rice, It’s What’s For Dinner

B

Sometimes the world seems very loud to me. I should amend that. Most of the time, the world feels very loud to me. The Husband says that it’s because I have ridiculously good hearing (it’s my super power). Personally, I think that the world is just incredibly loud and I’m constantly trying to turn down the volume. Some days I lose that battle, the noise follows me everywhere and I discreetly stick my fingers in my ears to block out what I can. I’m unable to tune out voices, entire conversations, the drumming of fingers, the clacking of keyboards, laughter down the hall, the slamming (okay, closing) of doors – you get the idea.

Tonight after a long day of sensory overload, I escaped to one of my favorite quiet retreats to recharge: The Minnesota Winter. Danny’s leash in hand, I braced for the cold air and the cathedral-like silence that comes with the snow. Unfortunately, even there sounds assaulted me at every turn and despite the cold, the night was a-buzz with activity. The crunching of snow under my boots sounded like a roar in my ears, an airplane thundered over, a runner stomped past, there seemed to be no escape. That was when I turned the corner and saw the backhoe digging up a front yard, the Roto-Rooter truck parked on the street. In the midst of all that noise, I felt sympathy for the poor sots with the plumbing disaster in the middle of the deep freeze and my inner quiet started to regain its foothold. Obviously where I was standing, things were looking pretty good.

They looked even better when I got home to find The Husband making one of our favorite dinners, Spicy Black Beans & Rice:

beans and rice

This is a super simple vegetarian recipe that freezes WONDERFULLY. We’ve not only taken it on camping trips for two but increased the recipe to feed 14 for a canoe trip. Freeze it in gallon storage bags and use it to keep the cooler cold, it’s a fantastic recipe. Serve it with taco chips or put it in a tortilla, it would be especially great with some chopped lettuce and avocado, but I never seem to plan ahead for that.

Something tells me though that with beans for dinner there will be a more noise in my future….

Add comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

By Heidi Van Heel
Heidi Van Heel

Heidi Van Heel

Writer, freelancer, and believer in magic living in Minneapolis. In my free time, I love reading, exploring the great outdoors, and experimenting in the kitchen.

View Full Profile →

Recent Posts

Subscribe to My Blog

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email.

Connect With Me

Copyright Heidi Van Heel. All rights reserved.