Day 173 - Red Beans and Rice

Red beans and rice, grapes,corn.

Red beans and rice!  Yum! I make mine in the slow cooker, and enjoy every single bite.  I also make mine Gulf Coast style - I was informed at lunch today that my red beans looked "weird" because they had sausage and onions in them, by a friend who is from another part of the country.  Honestly, never occurred to me that "red beans and rice" wasn't a trademarked term used in New Orleans.  Obviously that's just crazy talk on my part, but I found it interested how heated the table discussion became over the "right" way to cook different foods.

Whoever said American culture is becoming overly homogenized needs to come eat lunch with me, apparently.

Anyway, I pared my red beans and rice with some leftover silver queen corn and grapes.  Tasty!

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

1 cup dried red beans

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 lb kielbasa or cooked andouille sausage, sliced thin

1 T minced garlic

1 T cajun seasoning

1 quart chicken stock or broth

3 cups hot cooked rice (I like saffron rice, but plain white rice is the classic)

Combine all ingredients, except rice, in a 2 quart crock pot.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans are tender.  Serve over rice with a green salad and a crusty baguette!