Featured recipes from Marilu’s table * Red beans & rice and Spicy chard & collard greens
Here’s a complete meal for vegans – or anyone! (Just because a meal is meatless or animal-free, doesn’t mean other people won’t love it). They’re also budget friendly meals, especially if you purchase the beans and rice from the bulk bins, and get the produce from the farmer’s market.
If you don’t eat meat analogs (fake meats, usually made from soy or gluten), you can skip the soy sausage altogether (just add some Cajun seasoning or increase the Tabasco). Or if you eat poultry, try spicy chicken sausage. However you make it, the dish is delicious.
Chard and collards are typical southern foods that have just started getting positive reviews in the north. We challenge you to try something new with this recipe if you haven’t had cooked greens before. Cooking the greens (like tomatoes) makes their nutrition more available. If you chop the stems, it’s fine to eat them, too.
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Red Beans and Rice
Green * Serves 6-8
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound spicy soy sausage,* cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight
3-1/2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 cups uncooked brown rice, rinsed
Salt
Pepper
Tabasco
*or use spicy chicken sausage, or skip and increase seasonings
In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sausage, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté about 7 to 10 minutes, or until the sausage is cooked through (if using chicken sausage, make sure it’s no longer pink).
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, add the drained beans, broth, water, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add the sausage mixture, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 45-60 minutes, or until the beans are soft. Add the rice and 1/2 cup water (or more if needed; there should be enough liquid to be absorbed by the rice). Cover and simmer until the rice is cooked, about 25 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco.
Spicy Chard and Collard Greens
Green * Serves 6
1 pound fresh collard greens, washed and coarsely chopped
1 cup vegetable broth
1 large red onion, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch chard, washed and coarsely chopped
Salt
Pepper
Tabasco or other hot sauce
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, add the collard greens, vegetable broth, onion and red pepper flakes and cover with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer about 2 hours, or until the greens are tender. Add the chard and simmer 7 to 10 minutes, or until wilted. Remove the onion and season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.
