Red Beans and Rice

 

Anything beans and rice is ok with me!

I'm not sure about the tomatoes, but I will trust Lana and at least try it.

Check out her blog . . .

Source: https://www.lanascooking.com/red-beans-and-rice/

Ingredients

• ▢1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢1 onion (1 medium or 1/2 a large)
• ▢3 cloves garlic
• ▢1 green bell pepper (1 medium or 1/2 a large)
• ▢3 ribs celery
• ▢1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)
• ▢2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
• ▢32 ounces canned light red kidney beans drained (2 cans)
• ▢29 ounces canned diced tomatoes in juice (2 cans)
• ▢14 ounces turkey kielbasa sliced
• ▢1 bay leaf
• ▢2 cups water
• ▢1 cup rice
• ▢salt and pepper to taste
• ▢Tabasco optional, to finish
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Instructions

• In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
• Add the chopped veggies and saute until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the thyme, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the beans, tomatoes with their juice, kielbasa, and bay leaf.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover and let it simmer while you prepare the rice.
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For the rice:

• Bring the water to a boil, add salt (about 1/2 tsp) and rice.
• Stir well, reduce heat to low and cover.
• Cook approximately 20-22 minutes until all water is absorbed.
• Remove the pan from heat and fluff the rice with a fork.
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To serve:

• Spoon 1/2 to 1 cup rice into each individual bowl.
• Spoon the red bean mixture over the rice.
• Add a few splashes of Tabasco if desired.

Bean with Bacon Soup

Most people bring out their soup recipes when it gets cold, but for me, I love bean soup any time of the year.  Great Northern White Beans are my favorite.

I've made the same tried and true simple recipe as long as I can remember. Start with dry Great Northern White Beans and prepare them as described in this recipe, add fresh water just past the beans and add diced ham.  If you have one, a ham bone works best, especially if you have left meat on the bone for the soup.  Cook several hours until beans are tender.  Taste . . . you will know when they are ready.  

Don't forget to make some fresh cornbread.

Here is the Pioneer Woman's recipe for soup using Great Northern White Beans. 



Ingredients

1 pound Great Northern White Beans
4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock
1 pound Thick-cut Bacon, Cut Into 1 Inch Pieces
1 whole Onion, Diced
2 whole Large Carrots, Peeled And Diced
2 stalks Celery, Diced
Salt And Pepper, to taste
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 whole Bay Leaves
Minced Parsley, To Taste
3 whole Roma Tomatoes, Chopped (optional)


Instructions

Give the beans a rinse. Put them in a large pot and cover with water by two inches. Let them soak overnight.

Drain the beans. Add chicken stock and 4 cups of water, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just barely crisp while the beans are cooking.  Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Add 2/3 of the bacon to the beans and reserve the rest for garnish.

Drain the bacon grease from the pan; add onions, carrots, and celery. Season with some salt and pepper and cook until just beginning to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute or two. 

Add vegetable mixture to the beans. Add the bay leaf and stir. 

Cover and cook on low (to medium-low) until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add a cup of broth if the liquid level gets too low.

When ready to serve, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. If desired, stir in the tomatoes. Serve with chopped reserved bacon and chopped parsley.

Source:  The Pioneer Woman

Rice and beans

Rice and beans is one of my favorite meals, even when there is enough money to buy whatever food there is a craving for . . . it is one of those southern meals that can be varied in so many ways.  The meal is not complete without a batch of corn bread that I love to crumble in the rice and beans.

Today I was on a quest to find different variations of rice and beans and I ran across the AandE Channel's pages for Duck Dynasty, which includes some of the Robinson family's recipes.  You can find the link to Miss Kay's recipes at the end of this post.  

The Captain and I are Duck Dynasty fans and I always love their references to food . . . except that I would never ever, even if offered huge sums of money, eat squirrel.  Squirrels are like little outdoor pets for me!  The Captain, on the other hand, tells me it was a favorite childhood meal after a day of hunting down squirrels in the woods and bringing them home for Mom to cook.  

Here is an excerpt from the write up on this recipe, followed by the recipe . . .

"The family subsided on rice and beans, cornbread, and whatever fish and game the boys could catch. Rice and beans was a staple dish at the Robertson dinner table. A hundred-pound bag of rice and several cans of beans would last for weeks. There are dozens of ways to prepare rice and beans, and the recipes could be altered by adding a simple gravy or squirrels, quail, or fish so it was a perfect meal for the struggling Robertson family.

You can be creative with this. Don't worry about doing it exactly the way it is written, try stuff, if you don't have an ingredient make it anyway. I make beans every time we make or buy a ham — the ham bone is the key. You will find hunks of that ham when it cooks off the bone that you never knew existed and they are delicious. NEVER throw ham bone away!"

INGREDIENTS
• 1 pound dry kidney Pinto beans
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 6 cups water
• a couple of slices of bacon, cut up
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you are feeding kids)
• 2 bay leaves (if you don't have it in your cabinet don't worry about it)
• a pinch of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Phil Robertson's Cajun Style Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes (again, don't sweat it if you don't have it)
• 1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced (Add more if you like sausage, or a different kind if this is too spicy.)
• Ham bone with as much ham left on it as you want (I buy one that is honey glazed, take the ham off for sandwiches, then use what's left for beans)
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• Louisiana Hot Sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse beans and transfer to a large pot with ham bone six cups of water. Make sure the water is covers all the beans.
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil and cut up bacon over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery for three to four minutes.
3. Stir cooked vegetables into beans.
4. Season with bay leaves, cayenne pepper, parsley, and Cajun Style Seasoning.
5. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook 4 to 6 hours, or until beans are soft and done. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
6. Cut sausage into slices and brown in skillet on medium heat with a teaspoon of olive oil.
7. Stir sausage into beans towards the end of cooking time and continue to simmer for thirty minutes.
8. Add a pinch of brown sugar to taste.
9. In a saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for twenty minutes. Serve beans over steamed white rice and add plenty of Louisiana Hot Sauce.

For more family recipes, visit our Kay's Recipes page.

Bean Facts

1 cup of dried beans equals 8 ounces

1 cup of dried beans equals 2 to 3 cups of cooked beans

1 pound of dried beans equals 6 cups of cooked beans

One 15 to 16 ounce can of beans, rinsed and drained, equals 1 1/2 to 2 cups