Red Beans and Rice

I got ideas from these sites: Authentic Louisian Red Beans and Rice, Emeril's Red Beans and Rice, and Simple Recipes Red Beans and Rice

Here is my usual recipe but it is all about what is on hand and what you like!

1 lb of red beans

1 large sweet onion diced

1 large red or green pepper diced

4 celery stalks diced

1/4 cup butter

4 cups of chicken broth

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tbs smoked paprika (I didn't have any this time but if I did it would have gone in)

2 tbs chopped fresh parsley (only because I have it on hand)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

andouille sausage cut into bite size pieces ( I used 3 links, most recipes call for 1 lb)

smoked Tabasco to taste (chipotle) 

Cajun spices to taste  

2 cups of dry rice

Soak beans over night or use the quick soak method by bringing them to a boil in a pot of water for 3 minutes then turn off the heat and cover with a lid for an hour or two. 

Heat the butter on low heat and toss in the onion, red pepper, celery, and 1/2 the garlic. Cook until the onions start to caramelize. 

Add 3/4 of the seasonings, red beans, and broth. Cook at a simmer for like 2 or 3 hours. When it really starts to smell good add the andouille sausage (about 2.5 hours) and cook for another 30 minutes (total 3 hours). Add the rest of the seasons and garlic then let sit for a bit. Mash some of the beans with your spoon, or take some out and blend them to make it thicker without making a rue (save on calories)! If you blend take some of the beans out and cool them first. 

Cook rice and serve together. 

This is a pretty tasty yet some what bland on it's own. I make it that way for the kiddos. I like to splash it with Tabasco and my hubby adds Tabasco and Cajun spices. A good Cajun spice recipe here. I make it as is but I like smoked paprika instead of regular.  

The cajun spice that I make for my gumbo is good too.

Mix the following ingredients into a bowl

2 tblsp smoked paprika

1 tblsp garlic

1 tbls oregano

1 tbls thyme

1.5 tsp of cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp white pepper

See the gumbo recipe here

Fall Apart Crock Pot Pork

• Get a pork roast. 
• Heat coconut oil in a pan and sear each side of the pork on medium heat until browned. 
• Put it in the crock pot, salt and pepper each side.
• In the same pan add more coconut oil and caramelize a small diced onion on low heat for about 10 minutes. 
• Chop 5 cloves of garlic and add to the onions and cook for another minute. 
• Pour onions and garlic into the crock pot. Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan and scrape up all the stuff that got stuck with a spatula. 
• Pour that in the crock pot.
• Salt and pepper meat. 
• Put the lid on and set to low for 7 to 8 hours.

How to chop an onion like a boss

Delicious Whole Foods for Dinner, quinoa meatloaf, sweet potatoes, and asparagus

Turkey quinoa meatloaf, sweet potatoes cooked at the same time as the meatloaf and asparagus. The sweet potatoes were just scrubbed and put onto a cookie sheet in the oven below the meatloaf. I took the meatloaf out first and let the sweet potatoes cook while the meatloaf sat. Asparagus awesome. I just snap of the tough ends, toss in olive oil, sprinkle liberally with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, sick in the oven with the sweet potatoes where the meatloaf was and let cook for the next 15 minutes, while the meatloaf sets. You always want to let meat cool so that all the juices don't seep out. You know your asparagus is done when you can see some of the olive oil bubbling in the corners. You can tell the sweet potatoes are done when one of them has cracked and some delicious juices are coming out. At this point your house begins to smell like sweet potatoes. YUM! No butter or anything necessary.