Red Bean and Rice Tacos

Stay with me here. I know this sounds like a strange combination. Red Beans and Rice... in a taco? With taco fix-in's? You've gotta be crazy.

Well, I'm not. I can't explain it, but this recipe just works. Cajun and Mexican, all rolled up into one. I'm constantly looking for new ways to use leftovers. I made a large batch of Red Beans and Rice this week, and that always leaves me with plenty of excess. I froze a pretty large bag for later, but I was left with a couple of good-sized portions. What to do?

I must admit, I didn't come up with this idea on my own.  Believe it or not, the last time I made Red Beans and Rice (before this week, of course) was 2 years ago. We had newly moved in with the hubby's aunt and uncle while our house was under construction. This was one of the first meals I made while living there, and we had gobs of leftovers. Aunt suggested we put the leftovers in tortillas and make tacos. It didn't sound appetizing right off the bat, but I'm always down to experiment. Boy was I surprised that the Red Beans and Rice made a fantastic taco filling! If you have members of your family who don't "do" leftovers (like me) this is an easy way to turn leftovers into something new. 

I'm actually tossing around the idea of "Leftover Week" on the blog. I love talking about home economics. Believe me, I could talk your ear off on the money-saving benefits of cooking from scratch. A lot of times home cooks have leftovers from their meals that they can easily turn into a new and different meal. Using leftovers saves time and money. And leftovers don't have to be drab, sad, and unappealing. These tacos look anything but drab, right? The idea of "Leftover Week" came to me last night as I made a pesto pasta faster than I could make a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Pesto pasta that had 100 times more flavor than boxed mac and cheese, yet was just as convenient. Don't be surprised if you see "Leftover Week" here on the blog soon :)

I have one more topic before I scurry off for the day. Today is the 10th anniversary of the series finale of "Friends".  10 years? Are you kidding me? I'm still shaking my head in a bit of disbelief that it's been 10 years, as I can still remember exactly where I was that day. 

It was 2004 (duh). I was in college, living in the ... dun, dun, dun... sorority house. My little sis (in the sorority, I don't have any sisters in real life) lived in an apartment off campus. We spent the finale working on a 12-pack of Zima in her apartment, sobbing our eyes out while her live-in boyfriend stared at us in horror from his work spot at the dining room table. Does anyone remember Zima? Man, that stuff was nasty. That memory still makes me laugh. And makes me sad that that was 10 years ago. Holy moly, where does the time go?

All right, well, I hope this recipe changes your minds' about leftovers. Even if it's just a little bit :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients:

corn tortillas

Red Beans and Rice, heated

sour cream

grated cheddar cheese

sliced green onions

salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200º. Dampen a dish cloth, then wrap damp cloth around a stack of tortillas. Wrap dish cloth in aluminum foil. Place packet in oven, allow to cook for 20 minutes. Keep tortillas wrapped to keep them moist and warm.

2. Heat Red Beans and Rice. I just used the microwave :)

3. Spoon Red Bean mixture onto tortillas. Top with sour cream, cheese, onions, and salsa. Serve immediately. 

Printable Recipe

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday