Like a Rhinestone Cowboy.......

Tonight I was finally going to do it... I was finally going to make my *signature* dish (that's right baby, signature!) and then blog about it. Because, you know, that's what all the cool kids are doing these days. Well, turns out I don't have one of the key ingredients on hand... so I made lo-mein instead. And boy, was it sure good!  But, as long as you don't mind a recipe without pictures of ingredients or an updated picture of the finished product, well then you're in luck!  I present to you.....

Rhinestone Cowboy Caviar! (yee haw)

Mother of runny yolks... those are some perfectly poached eggs. Boo- ya!

A little back story: 

A few years ago (5...6...7?) I was watching $40 a day and Ms. Ray was lunching at some joint in California. Her meal was black bean soup with avocado and poached eggs on top- and it looked delicious. So good, in fact, I set about recreating it for lunch the next day- a trip to Panera for the black bean soup and a stop by Waffle House for the poached eggs- and I was in lunch heaven! (Don't worry closed Tokyo sushi place, I still fondly remember and miss (come back!) your amazing $8 bento box lunch- sushi, sashimi, miso soup (yuck!), and tempura- all for $8! RIP) So, yes- back on topic: I lurved my lunch meal so much, I set about to make it at home... but I tweaked it to make it more filling and nutritionally complete (that was lucky, truth is... I just really like rice) and just easier to make.  I even entered this recipe into a food contest and got to make it for a 'select panel of judges'; it turned out well, I mean, hellllo, I poach a mean egg, but this was slightly before the 'runny egg on top of everything craze', so some of the judges didn't know they were supposed to *love* it. Amateurs. I didn't advance to the next round, but neither did the Fancy Cooking School chick beside me, so... ha!

Look at me go!  Getting my saute on!

Enough jabbering, here's the recipe: 

1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes and chilis (any flavor, I like cilantro & lime)
1 can unseasoned black beans, drained
1/2 cup(?) diced onions
2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup Basmati rice- or grain of choice, my friend likes quinoa

4 -6 eggs (2 per person)
vinegar

jalapenos (optional)
cilantro (optional)
other things you have on hand that you think would be good (add 'em, but they're optional)

Cook your rice, or grain of choice, according to package directions. For Basmati, you rinse it then add to a pot with 1 1/2 cups water (1.5 parts water for 1 part rice) and some salt. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Let cook while you prepare everything else.

While the rice is cooking, saute the onions and garlic in a skillet. Once they're soft, add your tomatoes and black beans. Cook 'em down until the beans have burst and the mixture is all saucy and thick. Use medium-low heat. Yeah, that sounds good.

Poach your eggs: Fill another skillet about 1/2 way up with water and add a splash of vinegar. 1-2 tablespoons if you must measure it. Heat the water on medium-low until bubbles begin to appear on the bottom of the skillet but they're not rising and bursting on the surface- so, don't boil it.  One at a time, crack your eggs into a measuring cup and gently add them to the water.  Spoon the hot water over the tops of the eggs and cook until they've reached the desired done-ness. Which is runny. Don't overcook the eggs. Alternately, you could just make a couple of wells in your bean mixture, add your eggs to that, pop a lid on it and just wait for it to cook that way. But, nah, you should poach them.

To serve: spoon rice into bowl, spoon on black bean/tomato mixture and top with your two beautiful poached eggs. Ta-da, dinner!

As for the 'optional' ingredients, you can fancy this up as much as you like.  If you have jalapenos, fresh cilantro and fresh tomato and you want to go that route then do it! Avocado, sure! But these ingredients aren't necessary for a tasty dish. I like to have the leftovers for lunch, just put your rice and beans in a microwavable safe bowl and make a well in the middle. Add a little water in your well (so your egg won't stick), crack an egg in the middle and nuke it until it's done- I don't know, 2 minutes? Yay, lunch!

P.S. Me and grammar... man, we used to be so tight!  But not anymore, so what if I use words that don't exist? Don't like my sentence structure? Well, suck it. I like exclamation points and ellipses and just rambling on about stuff... and your rules can't bring me down man! Ok....I'll do better. :(  (I like smileys too.)

(I think Sleeping with the Enemy is on in the next room. Spoiler alert: she didn't drown, she learned how to swim... and how to ultimately live her life!)

More pictures of me! It's my blog... I can do what I wanna!