However, the Hubby, having grown up in the Dominican Republic, has certain ideas and behaviors that I have never really understood before, just kind of attributing them to a little quirk. :) Once I visited his home country last fall, everything just seemed to click into place. I could see why he loved listening to music so loud it made me cringe and picture the downstairs neighbor banging her broom on the ceiling, as well as a lot of strange behaviors regarding food. He has these ideas about certain foods equating low class or poverty. The Dominican Republic, like any other country, definitely has its poor areas, as I experienced first hand when I visited his village, but it is an amazingly beautiful place with generous people that will gladly help out their neighbors or fellow members of the community even if they do not know them intimately. It's the kind of place that if you're struggling, your friends, community and family will help you out. Happily.
Strangely enough though, he still has these ideas, and they are especially strong regarding leftovers and black beans. To him, the poorer people are known for eating their leftovers, because they do not have anything else and they cannot spare to have any food go to waste. The same goes for black beans - he will 100% of the time choose pinto beans over black beans. That is something I don't quite understand, but he would prefer if I didn't have them in the house at all. Evidently, black beans are much more inexpensive than other beans, and therefore, they are a "poor person" food. He refuses to eat seasoned black beans - he will only eat them if I add them in a small amount to something, such as stuffed peppers. Since we have been married, I have been finding creating ways to use up our leftovers without making them seem like leftovers. So I made this dish as leftovers for us one day, not saying it was leftovers, just that I had a great idea for a wrap to make with some beans and rice and he ate it gladly. And so should you - it's very tasty!
Rice, Bean & Veggie Wraps:
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| Crunchy, Creamy, Spicy - It's Got It All! |
Serves - as many as you would like
Leftover Beans & Rice
Tortillas
Red Cabbage, Shredded
Minced Red Onions
Vegan Sour Cream
Black Olives, Sliced
Sriracha
1. Reheat the beans and rice in a medium pan over medium heat, until nice and hot. (If you have a microwave, I guess you could use it, although I am pretty freaked out by them!)
2. Have the rest of your ingredients ready. Place a medium sized pan over low-medium heat and add your tortilla. Allow it to heat for 30-45 seconds per side, or until warmed through and flexible. Place the tortilla on your plate and the hot beans/rice mixture on top.
3. Add as much of the shredded cabbage, minced onions and olives as you want. Add the sour cream in a line over top of all of the ingredients. Add the sriracha on top of the sour cream. Close tortilla and eat. Super tasty!
Enjoy!
-Koko
I complete understand his clinging to that which he was taught growing up because I'm the same way. It just so happens that my feelings lean in the opposite direction. I grew up poor and throwing away left overs was tantamount to a grievous sin. I'm still poor and I'm proud of my abilities to reuse leftovers in a myriad of ways. I throw things together that people often throw questioning glances at but end up loving once they try. I think a lot of the questions come simply from the fact that the dishes are made with leftovers. I've never understood the stigma attached to reusing leftovers. Thankfully though, people are now much more into frugality. It's the "cool thing" to do. Because of this, leftovers have made a comeback.
ReplyDeleteSorry if this is long winded. My original purpose was just to say that the values instilled in us in childhood are often hard to break. Your husband sees using leftovers as bad. I see it as a source of pride!