We’re back in the pantry tonight, working our way through the random canned goods and assorted freezer finds in an effort to save a buck and eat like royalty! The latter, especially, works out well today, seeing how Prince Charles and Camilla are just down the road in Washington, D.C., as I type this (and were in fact down OUR road earlier today, visiting Mount Vernon!). So, royalty it is.
Anyway, tonight’s meal was so simple to make and yet was so very filling. First, I placed some rice (Arborio style, actually, since I didn’t have any regular old medium-grain white rice!) in the rice cooker and added a couple of pinches of saffron as well as a healthy dose of adobo seasoning. I added the requisite water and clicked the cooker to On, then turned my attention to the tacos themselves.
First off, if you haven’t tried freezing flour tortillas yet, I implore you to do so immediately. With just two of us, it’s nearly impossible to work through a full package of tortillas before they go bad, so I’ve taken to putting them in the freezer and have never looked back. Tonight, I pulled out four tortillas, wrapped them in aluminum foil, and cooked them at 350 for 10 minutes in the oven. They were perfectly crisp-tender and hot by the time their baking stint was finished!
Next up, I pulled two chik’n patties out of the freezer and heated them up in the microwave, cutting them into strips after they were cooked. Chik’n strips work great in tacos, and I knew we’d both love the extra protein!
And then we’ve got the beans. I opened the pantry to find a can of pinto beans looking back at me, as well as a small can of diced green chilies. Magical! I drained both the beans and the chilies as best I could and warmed them up over low heat until they were heated through. I gave the bean mixture a dash of cumin and some chili powder, and they were none the worse for wear, let me tell you!
As soon as the rice was ready – and, despite my apprehension, the Arborio turned out just great – the rest of the meal was too, so LeeLee and I sat down to work, the cat sitting atop a chair just out of reach, peering over our shoulders. (She does love when we bring out the Daiya cheddar, that’s for sure!) For toppings, we added shredded lettuce, a diced tomato, and an avocado cut into strips to our tacos, and we also enjoyed a dollop of vegan sour cream and just a pinch of the aforementioned Daiya cheddar to round out the meal! And, of course, our beloved Tabasco.
As is traditional with tacos in our home, there was nary a tortilla, bean, or grain of rice left by the time we were finished. But that’s perfectly fine! It was for a good cause.
I can’t wait to peer back into the pantry and pull out another treasure!
:)