8 LAYER BEAN DIP

Everyone loves this bean dip and it is requested wherever I go:
Ingredients:
BLACK beans (yes black is important; 2 cans)
Avocado or Wholly Guacamole brand guacamole
Sour Cream
Pace brand Mild Salsa
Sliced Olives (1-2 cans)
Corn (1 can)
Sliced Green Onions
Shredded Cheese

Drain the beans and pour them into a 9x13 pan and mash them with a potato masher. Next mash your avocado or use the guacamole and spread it over the beans. Then add your sour cream and salsa. Then add olives, corn and onions. Last layer it with shredded cheese. Vary the amounts with what you prefer or to reduce calories use less cheese, sour cream, etc. When I make this how I like it I use tons of avocado. Tim prefers tons of sour cream and Melanie wants lots of cheese.
Also I half this recipe all time: 1 can beans, 1 can olives and I still use 1 can corn.

RICE MUJADARA - CHEAP, HEALTHY, SIMPLE

We love this recipe and it's AWESOME for using up food storage. It serves about 6-8 people and takes about an hour to prepare.1 and 3/4 cups lentils (green or brown)
2 large onions (or more)
1 cup olive oil or nut oil
6 cups water
2 cups rice, washed and drained
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

1. Rinse lentils. Put in water in large pot.
2. Slice onions finely into half circles.
3. Boil lentils in water with cinnamon (optional) until nearly tender - approximately 20-25 minutes.
4. At the same time fry onions in frying pan with hot oil and sugar (optional) until golden brown - essentially caramelize them.
5. Once the lentils are tender, add in the rice, onions with oil, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover pot, and turn down heat and simmer slowly until rice is tender and all fluid is absorbed - approximately 20 minutes.

Notes: You can use short grain, long grain, or brown rice - all are delicious!