Featured recipe from Marilu’s table * Rockstar red beans and rice
Hello Meatless Monday fans! Everyone who eats vegan finds themselves with rice and beans as a meal. We like this recipe because it’s the rockstar version – it’s amp’ed up in flavor, and has some great veggies in the sauce.
This meal takes an hour or so to prepare, but it’s not “work-y.” Most of the time is for allowing things to cook, and flavors to blend. You’ll have plenty of time to check your email and sort through the day’s mail while you’re making it. Or fold some laundry. Or listen to the stories of the day.
Serve with an assortment of crisp veggies.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Rockstar Red Beans and Rice
Blue * Serves 8
2 cups brown rice, uncooked
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cups of vegetable stock
4 15-ounce cans of natural organic red beans, drained and washed
1 14.5-ounce can of natural tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt-free Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Hot pepper sauce, to taste
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt or Sea salt
1/4 cup of fresh chopped Italian parsley
Rinse the brown rice in a strainer. In a medium saucepan, put the rice and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cover. Cook for 30-40 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed.
Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, green bell pepper, red bell pepper and vegetable stock. Braise the vegetables in the vegetable stock until soft. Add the beans, tomatoes, seasoning, cumin, ground pepper, hot sauce, thyme and bay leaf. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. You may need to add more vegetable stock if the beans become too dry. After the beans have simmered, season to taste with salt and add the chopped Italian parsley. Serve with brown rice and hot sauce.
