Friday, January 11, 2013

Breaking Out of the Recipe Rut: New Orleans Red Beans




As promised I am trying at least one new recipe a month this year. Some of them will be practical and some will be elaborate. Today's recipe is practical and easy on the budget and diet plan. 

Hey, I'm an unpublished writer with a College Kid and I'm on a diet. This recipe is from the Fix It and Forget It Lightly slow cooker cookbook and was originally submitted by Cheri Janzen in Houston,TX.

2 cups dried red kidney beans
5 cups water
1/4 pound lean hot sausage cut into small pieces (couldn't find this so used turkey smoked sausage and added a dash of cayenne to the mix
2 onions chopped (I used Vidalia)
2 cloves garlic minced (I used 3 and wish I used 4 cause I love garlic)
1 tsp. salt (I omitted it)

1. Wash beans. Remove any stones or floaters. In saucepan, combine beans and water. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Soak 1 hour. 

2. Brown sausage slowly in nonstick skillet (I added a bit of olive oil). Add onions, garlic, and salt (but I omitted) and sauté until tender.

3. Combine all ingredients, including the bean water, in slow cooker. 

4. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours. During last twenty minutes stir frequently and mash with a spoon (didn't do this). 

5. Serve over hot cooked white rice. (I used brown). 

Yields 6 cups. 1 cup per serving. Serve with 1/2 cup rice. 200 cal per serving. 3 weight watcher points for bean dish. 3 points for brown rice. 

Verdict? Yummy! Filling! And do again. 

Great recipe. I will make it again and tweak the heat with a bit more garlic and spice/cayenne. 






2 comments:

Pepper Phillips said...

You're only supposed to mash a few beans, not the whole shebang. My hubby doesn't like the red beans, so I use the small navy beans.
This is a great dish, and one of Louisiana's comfort foods.

Christine said...

You know, I didn't mash any of the beans at all and it was divine. I just ate the beans whole. So readers, you don't have to mash any of the beans. Maybe just a few as Pepper suggests. It was so good. :-)