Red Beans and Rice

Today's recipes comes from This Can't Be Vegan, and can be found in its original form at http://www.thiscantbevegan.com/2012/03/spicy-sausage-and-red-beans-with-rice.html.
All pictures have been taken from there.


This recipe is crazy good! It's so good that I want to eat it in back to back weeks, and that is super rare. It actually didn't require much tweaking, but I increased some of the ingredients to add heartiness. I also live with a meat eating man-man who eats a lot, and I wanted to eat this over and over again, so I decided that the next time I would absolutely double the recipe. My version of this recipe below is doubled, and I used a 12" cast iron skillet to prepare the meal. (If you half the recipe, it is still a little different from the original, so be mindful of that.)

This recipe can easily be made gluten free by using actual gluten free sausage instead of the Field Roast variety, but if you don't have gluten sensitivity, I highly recommend using the Mexican Chipotle variety of the Field Roast grain sausage. It is delicious and vegan and spiced just right for this dish. If you can't find it, try another variety of vegan sausage. Maybe SoyRizo would work. If you try that, let me know how it turns out.

Let me know how this works for you. I recommend eating this with good old southern cornbread. I found a vegan version that I have yet to try, but when I do, I'll post it.


Shopping List by Department (Let me know if the shopping list is helpful. This is how I organize my grocery list.):

Produce:

• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 large onion
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 bulb of garlic

Dry (Canned/Box):

• brown rice (I used brown jasmine, but any kind works)
• Cajun seasoning (I recommend Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning. My favorite!)
• dried thyme
• hot sauce or Tabasco sauce
• 2-15 oz. cans of dark kidney beans
• at least 20 oz. or 2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth (if you're going store bought, my favorite brand is Central Market. It comes in a 32 oz. resealable box.)

Other:

• Field Roast Grain Sausage, Mexican Chipotle variety (or whatever other sausage you choose to use.)

Recipe

2 cups brown rice
4 vegan sausage links, diced (such as Field Roast Mexican Chipotle)
1 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 large)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2-15-ounce can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt

1. Cook brown rice according to the package directions. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Heat a large nonstick pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer sausage to a bowl, and set aside.
3. To the same pan, add bell pepper, onion, garlic, Cajun seasoning, thyme, and hot sauce; sauté 3 minutes or until onions are softened.
4. Add 1 can of beans and using a potato masher (or fork), mash the beans.
5. Add second can of beans and vegetable broth. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add sausage, parsley, and salt; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Serve over cooked rice. Serves 4 heartily.