This is a classic poor man's stovetop recipe, designed to turn a few cheap odd and ends into a decent meal with plenty of leftovers. It also works well for pot luck.

Warnings:
NFF - not fat free

Ingredients:

2 lb. pan sausage
3 lb. russet potatoes
2 cups rice
1 cup pinto beans
cayenne, garlic, basil

precooked diced carrots, brocoli, and cauliflower are optional ingredients


may also be served with:
eggs (scrambled)
avacado
cheddar cheese
flour tortillas


     Cook beans and rice in 4 cups water, cook beans for 2 hours, covered, add rice, cook for an extra 15 minutes. When rice is added, cook three pounds of potatoes in the microwave. (May also be oven baked for 1 hour during cool weather.) Peel potatoes when cool and cube. In large skillet, fry sausage, chopped up as it's being cooked, to gray texture and drain and pat dry, removing as much grease as possible. Add potates, rice, beans (etc.), and spices, sprinkling the cayenne and garlic lightly as cooking to prevent lumping concentrations. Cook and stir until slightly browned.
     Serve hot in a bowl. May aslo be served on flour tortilla. Scrambled eggs, avacado, and cheddar cheese optional. This stores well in the fridge and heats well in the microwave. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days (I think, never lasted that long for me.)

     This is a great recipe for cooking up potatoes that have reached the "cook or discard" stage, or the last of a batch of beans and rice. It's an inexpensive recipe, offering a filling two days dining for under $3 without tasting boringly cheap. Suppliment with grain (bread) and green vegetable to balance the diet.