viva vegan! + venezuelan black beans and rice

First up from Viva Vegan! this week is Venezuelan-Style Black Beans and Yellow Rice with Garlic.

I needed to make Sofrito for the beans - which is almost exactly like Lecso in Hungarian cuisine, minus the tomatoes and paprika. Sofrito is slow cooked peppers and onions (or really any vegetables, but for Latin cuisine it is peppers and onions).

I also needed to make Annatto infused oil for the rice, but it seems my annatto seeds are a bit old as the orange-yellow color did not manifest quite as it has in the past when I've made this oil.The beans were a little sweet and that kind of threw the family for a loop, but I though the flavor quite ethnic and unique. I loved it!

This is having beans and rice in style!

Cost Breakdown:
beans, dry: $2
rice: $1
peppers, onions, garlic: $2
spices and herbs: $1
tomato: $1
Total to feed a family of 5:
$7.00

roasted vegetables

Nothing extravagant today. I was craving summer veggies and my CSA delivered a bunch last week. There are very few culinary treats as lovely as fresh summer vegetables. Japanese eggplant, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, basil, peppers, oh my!

I sprinkled some balsamic vinegar on them and poured them over some brown rice. I'm still a little tired from the bug, so this was just right.
 Fresh, fast and fabulous.

Gives a new meaning to "Dollar Meal."

Cost Breakdown:

zucch: $1

squash: $1

pepper: $1

onion, basil: $1

tomato: $1

eggplant: $1

rice: $1

Total to feed a family of 5:

$7.00