Marilu Henner at The Rrazz Room
performing her new one woman show!

August 6, 7 & 8 at 7 PM
Get Tickets

The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko
222 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA
415.781.0306

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.

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.

We remember one of the first words we learned to read in school – “LOOK.” Why is it that after we’ve learned to read the word, we do less and less actual looking?

Spend some time today looking at the world around you. LOOK with your eyes, your brain, your heart. Find pleasure in the beauty that surrounds you. Then – if you don’t see enough beauty on a daily basis – figure out ways to add beauty to your life. Hang an art print (or art postcard) on your bulletin board. Buy yourself some flowers for the house or office. Add a colorful pillow or two to a room that seems tired.

LOOK.
Notice the blue skies and the butterflies.
Celebrate with a little dance – throw your hands up and move to the music.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~