ragin' cajun - crockin' red beans and rice

southern creole dishes that'll add spice to your life.

crockin' red beans and rice

I'm always a little hesitant recreating my Cajun fiance Greg's favorite and familiar Louisiana dishes.  After he tried my cleaned-up version of red beans and rice,  I felt confident sharing this recipe with the world. This protein packed dish is sure to be a crowd pleas-er good enough for a Cajun!  I used a recipe out of the Louisiana Cooking Magazine, "Fall Comfort with a Cajun Flair," modifiying it to suit our dietary needs.  I like to soak the beans and do the prep during the day and cook this dish in the crock pot all night. This dish could also be prepared in a large stock pot, cooked on the stove.

Makes 10 - 1 cup servings

ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 pound all natural chicken sausage
1 quart no-sodium vegetable stock or water 

2 cloves of garlic,  finely minced

1 large sweet onion,  diced

4 stalks celery, diced

1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 pound dried red kidney beans, soaked in cold water a minimum of 4 hours, drained

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried chili pepper flakes

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp dried sage (optional)

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp smoked paprika

1. In a large non-stick crock pot insert, or a large non-stick dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage and the onions stirring occasionally, until the onions have slightly caramelized and the sausage has browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes, making sure that the garlic does not burn.

2. Add celery and bell peppers, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the soaked beans and 3 cups of stock into the pot. Add bay leaves, Cajun seasoning, pepper flakes, salt, sage, parsley, and paprika, and stir well.

3. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Transfer the insert of the crock back to the crock pot and turn on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours.

4. Once the beans are soft, using a hand mixer (shown) or a potato masher, cream some of the beans making sure to leave some of the beans whole. Serve over brown rice or quinoa with some fresh crusty artisan bread (recipe found under wonder breads tab), oh and don't forget a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce! Enjoy! 

Shannon