Rice and black beans

It's nearly July, so wouldn't a person expect to be grilling outdoors now? No such luck. It rained on and off yesterday, and this morning dawned (you guessed it) cool and gray. In fact, John just turned on the furnace to take the chill out of the house.

I like to make shrimp fajitas in my grill basket, but didn't feel like standing outside shivering last night. Of course an old cast iron frying pan works on a dismal summer night, and has the benefit of heating up the kitchen at the same time.

There are shelves and shelves of packaged rice and pasta mixes at the grocery store. Some are probably fine, but most things out of boxes and bags are too salty and have that funny "processed food" aftertaste. If you're frugal like me and save little bags of leftover rice in the freezer, it's as easy to make a healthy side dish from scratch.
OK, it does have 2 slices of chopped bacon, but you can also use olive oil to brown the jalapeño and onion.
Then add the leftover rice and about a half cup of hot salsa.
Rinse and drain a can of black beans...season with salt, pepper and chili powder.
And it would be fine as a light main dish with tortillas. Since we're still on hearty winter rations here, we had it last night with cheesy shrimp fajitas. And flan for dessert.