New Orleans style red beans & rice vegetarian for a working mom
3/4 cup of chopped yellow onions
1/3 cup of chopped sweet pepper
1/3 cup of chopped Celery
1/3 cup of chopped green onions
Tablespoon of chopped parsley
Tablespoon of chopped garlic
Tablespoon of dried thyme
1 large bay leaf
1 pound of dried red, or dark colored beans
1/4 cup of finely chopped carrots.
3 tablespoons of butter (optional)
Vegetable bullion to taste
The night before - put the beans in a crock pot and fill it with water and
soak overnight.
Next morning about 7-8am, drain the water and rense the beans several times
to remove any grit.
Add vegetable bullion till it is about 1 1/2 inches above the beans (you
should have a rather strong taste of bullion). Add all other ingredients,
then cook on low till 4:30 - 5pm.
When the beans are cooked (4:30 - 5pm), put some in a glass bowl and smash
them, then add / stir this back to the crock pot. Continue doing this till
beans get a little creamy.
Serve over boiled or steamed REGULAR LONG GRAIN RICE, or CONVERTED LONG
GRAIN RICE like Uncle Ben's.
Using the same soaking procedure, and seasonings, you can cook the beans on
top of the stove in a pot or pressure cooker. I find that if you do not soak
beans, it imparts a slightly different flavor then when they are cooked in a
pressure cooker. When using light colored beans with this recipe, omit the
thyme.
Cajun Joe
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