2 Winter Dinners for the Work of 1

If you have a refrigerator/freezer, leftovers don't present a problem. You wrap them and hide them away. You can forget them for a week and you're still okay. I won't show you a picture of our neighbor's refrigerator (see his stove in my last post), but the point is we don't have one (yet! stay tuned for that day). My years without refrigeration include life on three different boats plus one tent, so it is near the norm now. There are lingering Ben&Jerry's fantasies... but we cope.

On our last boat, we coped with a wonderful "fridge locker" that was below the water-line. In the winter, milk and beer were cold and yogurt lived happily for a long time. On our present boat, we cope with a cooler. Sometimes there is even ice in it! Earlier this week, there was ice, and I made two dinners for the work of one.

If you have never made Mark Bittman's red bean's and rice with coconut milk, you really must. It is a delicious, filling and cozy winter meal on it's own, and has the added benefit of... lots of leftover red beans with veggies. The ingredient list is short, and you can even drop the celery and bell peppers if they aren't available (but I recommend keeping them if you can!!).

On Tuesday, I made the Red Beans and Rice. You will note in the recipe (via link) that you are left with 3-4 cups of Red Beans and Veggie mix. These leftovers go into a sealed container. If you have NO cooler or refrigerator, you'll want to use them the very next day. Sitting on ice in our cooler, I kept them until Thursday and made:

Fast Chile

3-4 Adult servings

3-4 cups Red Beans and Veggies
1 can kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 packet Chile seasoning (adjust amount used to taste)
1/2 jar pasta sauce (leftover from the No Oven/No Mess Lasagna)
1 T Molasses
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

This is almost a one step recipe!

1) Everything but the cheese goes into a cook pot. If you don't like your food too spicy, use only 1/2 the packet of seasoning. If you like to heat things up, use it all! Mix ingredients and heat over medium until simmering.
3) Serve into bowls, top with cheese, enjoy.

Like the No Oven/No Mess Lasagna, you'll notice shockingly few dishes.