Halp! What should I make for dinner tomorrow?

[rivenwanderer]

I cook dinner once a week for my housemates--6 people total counting myself. Usually another housemate and I work together, but she'll be out of town and I'm having a hard time coming up with a plan for making dinner on my own. What's a good one or two-dish (ETA: vegetarian!) meal for 6 that doesn't take more than a couple of hours to put together?

Comments

[norabombay]

I like this one:

Black beans and rice, pickled onions, cuban toast, grilled peppers.

How to:

Rice: Make rice. I use white, but really, any non-super sticky rice will do.
Beans: Option 1: Buy a can of Goya Black Bean Soup. It's got the red label. Not the blue label black beans, the red label soup. I'm 99% certain this is vegetarian.

Option 2: Other black beans. Add fresh garlic, lime juice, scallions and some olive oil.

Condiments: Wedges of fresh cut limes. pickled onion (chopped onion, a little paprika, a little salt, some vinegar. Mix and let sit for an hour) or just chopped onion. Scallions also wonderful here.

Toast: Take good french bread, cut in half length wise. Spread with butter/oil/margerine. Toast.

Peppers: Grill if possible, sautee or otherwise cook if not, a bunch of sweet red/yellow peppers.
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And!Plantains! How did I forget these. Buy the package of frozen ones, or get fresh, and sautee in butter. Yum.

Technically this is a multi pot meal. However, the whole thing can be done in the time the rice cooks- put rice on, set beans to heat... Has the advantage of being cheap.