bad pot luck dish

I really want to make a satisfying beans and rice dish that isn't Mexican. All I know how to make are Mexican and Italian foods. There has to be more the vegetarianism than that. Tonight i tried this recipe from my new cookbook that I kind of knew was going to suck, but I am desperate. It was a Turkish new potato casserole. Yeah. Potatoes are old. Clyde said it tasted like a pot luck dish. That you don't want to eat. He added he wouldn't order it in a restaurant. Like there are even vegetarian options in restaurants besides veggie burgers around here. So the recipe was onions, eggplants, potatoes, broccoli, black and green beans, and red pepper. I cooked the onions, then added the rest to saute for a few minutes. Then the spices. weak. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika. I put a teaspoon in of all for good measure. Then I put in 3/4 cup of veggie broth and covered it with tomato puree and pieces mixed with garlic. This was baked in an increasingly hotter over (because the potatoes wouldn't cook I kept turning up the heat) until the potatoes cooked.
It was as bland as it sounds. But not bad. Just bland.
I made brown rice with veggie broth and cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, and garlic. It was tasty.
This morning I tried french toast. I have never made french toast before. It was pretty good. Clyde said it was the best french toast he has ever had because it was savory. I did this:
Put in 2 eggs beat with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon into a big bowl.
Mixed in 1 cup of rice milk
mixed in 1/2 teaspoon of rum (but you can use sugar)
mixed in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

put this in flat pan and cut bread pieces from clydes fabulous 6 grain bread and let them soak on each side for a few minutes, then I fried those bitches up. with maple syrup, it was good. but filling.