Beans and rice-can this be saved?

[ncsweetpea]

The little ones made a soup mix at the library story time today. Here was the recipe label printed on the package they made:

Red Beans and Rice
1 cup red beans
2 cups rice
14 cups water
Add seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one and half hours. Add more water if needed.

So, we did that. I have a huge pot of mushy rice and rock hard beans. Very bland taste.

Ever the experimenter, I added a shake of Cajun seasoning to the pot. Not much help.

I could have guessed the outcome of the recipe, but decided to try it as written.

Any ideas on making this work? Or just toss it in the compost bin?

[DoulaClara]

Yikes! I'm guessing it was white rice, which takes about ten minutes to cook, and dried (non-soaked) red beans, right? I wonder if someone donated Minute Rice or something, and that was used instead? Either way, that's tricky. If the rice is already falling apart and the beans are still hard, I can't think of a way to salvage it. :( What a bummer. Maybe make some of your own mix with the kids another day, if they're disappointed, and let them layer lentils with rice (which would probably cook at a more equal time) with some herbs for color. :hug2

[Aerynne]

I would toss it because I don't think it's going to be good no matter what you do and the more ingredients you throw in trying to make it work, the more money/food you waste. Mixes like this only work with parboiled beans. If your kids are sad, try the same recipe a better way (like by cooking the beans first or using canned beans)

[ncsweetpea]

I'm thinking composting it will be the best bet... Thanks for mentioning lentils!

She isn't too sad. She did a taste test and said, "Yuck!" Uh, I kinda agreed with her...but hey, she did get a good bit of measuring practice today! And the opportunity to learn that not all recipes are keepers! :)