(Green) Beans and (Jasmine) Rice

This is one of the simplest and cheapest (warm) meals to make EVER, other than the fact that it dirties two pans.  I know.  Huge drag.  But it is alright because even if it has taken you eight months to do so, you've finally taken over the communal kitchen on your floor, so you can just leave the dirty pots in the cupboards until you're ready to deal with them anyway.

the beautiful finished project

This is fantastically cheap in the right season, too.  Green beans are about $1-$1.29/lb and a bag of rice is like $3 for a 3lb bag (of course, this is from Trader Joe's... it will definitely be cheaper as a 10lb bag from your city's Chinatown).  We're talking about a $1.50 meal here.

(Green) Beans and (Jasmine) Rice

makes 1 serving

1/2 cup Jasmine rice

1 cup water

green beans (as much as you want)

olive oil

garlic (optional)

soy sauce (optional)

Rinse the rice 2-3 times in a small pot.  Like one of those really really tiny ones that is like 1-1.5 quarts.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes.  (And you don't even need a rice cooker.  What now?!  Well, if you don't have a simmer setting on the stove and until you get a hang of it, you might have to watch the pot to make sure it doesn't boil over.  But STILL.)

these are barely-cooked green beans... warm and crispy

While the water is boiling and all that jazz, add some olive oil to a pan and heat it up.  General rule of thumb, the oil is hot enough when you can flick water onto the oil and it sizzles.  Add the green beans and garlic (if you want it) and cook them over medium heat until they look done to you (depends on whether you want just-cooked or well-cooked beans).  Stir it all around occasionally.

Add all this good stuff to a giant bowl, pour in some soy sauce, and eat!

really really cooked green beans

***

I like this meal because it's easy, cheap, and fills you up while also providing some nice greenery.  In short, perfect for college.  Plus a cup of white jasmine rice has 8 grams of protein while a cup of green beans has 2 grams of protein.  So you get carbs, a decent amount of protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, bit of iron and fiber, and some calcium.  Brown rice is even better for you, BUT it takes longer to make, so there you go.

This is the first song I played today.  My parents played (some version of) this at their wedding probably because my dad basically has an emotional breakdown every time he hears it.  Cat Steven's "Morning Has Broken" (added bonus... there's at least one shot of Yosemite in this video):