Tuesday night I cooked the best beans and rice ever.

I'm sure it's the best because I grew the beans, picked the beans, dried the beans, and finally cooked them. Do you know how many fresh beans it takes to make a cup of dried beans? Now I do and it's a LOT.

I didn't use a recipe (I rarely do) but here's what I can recall: [print_this]

Best Beans and Rice Makes: 6 entrée servings Time: 25 minutes preparation, 1-2 hours simmering

Cook dry beans with 3 cups water and bay leaves in pressure cooker for 25 minutes.

Cook peppers, onion, and garlic in a large pot with olive oil over medium high heat until softened.

Add rice to pot and stir to coat. Add beans (discard bay leaves), veggie stock, 2 cups water, chilis, soy sauce, and old bay.

After 1 hour, check seasonings. Add tomato paste. Continue cooking until rice is tender, adding more water as necessary. Correct seasonings again if needed and serve.

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Have you ever worked so hard in the creation of something that the final product is elevated beyond usual expectations?

I added this recipe to the Food Renegade Fight Back Friday blog carnival.