Beans part 1

Ah, the miracle fruit.

So easy to make, but pretty tricky to make delicious. But they're cheap, and they're easy, so they may as well enter your pantry. They also keep well, so you can keep them around for rainy days when you just can't bear to make a grocery run.

Some kinds require soaking, others do not. The bag will tell you. You can also buy beans by the can, which is moderately easier, a bunch quicker, and lot more expensive. You can get two servings of canned beans for the same price as a whole bag of dry beans, which will feed you a lot longer.

But a can of black beans and a package of Knorr's "Spanish Rice" and a little onion and garlic or salsa can make a quick one-pan meal...

In a saucepan, follow the package directions for the rice.
Chop up the onion, and whatever other veggies you have.
You can also brown some chicken if it's handy.
When the rice is almost done, throw in a can of black beans, and the veggies. Let it simmer until everything is warm, and the texture you like.
Throw it onto a plate. Garnish with salsa, or cheese, or both.

I usually find that this makes two meals for me, even without the chicken added. And total cost is somewhere around $3, even with the onion (and without meat).