Veggie Packed Red Beans and Rice
Do you love spicy comfort food? Do you also like getting your vegetables in? If the answer is yes, then this veggie-packed recipe is for you. It is high in fiber and protein, and the carbs are complex and balanced. Grab a bottle of hot sauce and tuck in to this tasty meal!
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RB&R me ASAP!
Red beans & rice has a bad reputation as a carb-fest, and in most cases that’s true. But with a few tweaks, you can reduce the carbs and increase the protein to create a more balanced dish.
In this recipe, you’ll find more vegetables than the traditional recipe, done without sacrificing flavor or texture. The secret? Extra veggies in the red beans and a 3:1 blend of riced cauliflower cooked and jasmine rice — just enough to give a starchy texture, and the fact that it’s full of cauliflower is unnoticeable!
Eating beans and rice together creates a complete protein out of two incomplete proteins, and the (optional) andouille sausage adds animal proteins, which have a complete amino acid profile. If you’d like to add even more protein, this recipe is also great with a fried egg or two on top. Great news if you like inexpensive, satisfying, nutritious and tasty meals!
As with any food, it is important to eat mindfully. One of my favorite mindfulness practices is contemplating the history of the dish I’m eating. It is an opportunity to honor that history and connect with humanity on a deeper level. Through the process of researching this recipe, I discovered that red beans & rice has a complicated, inspiring and painful history.
Red beans & rice originated from the spicy bean and rice dishes Haitians brought to New Orleans after they were displaced as a result of the Saint-Domingue Revolution. During the late 1700s and early 1800s, Africans kidnapped into slavery successfully overthrew their colonial administrators, formed a new country, and abolished slavery. Unfortunately, the economic fallout left many Haitians seeking better lives elsewhere.
These Caribbean bean and rice dishes were often cooked on laundry day by the Creole workers who did rich people’s laundry for a living. Bean & rice recipes are easy to prep and can be simmered for hours, allowing people to sit down to a hot meal after a hard day’s labor. Caribbean, Spanish, and French flavors are the backbone of Creole recipes, which evolved to become this classic.
It didn’t take long for red beans & rice to become mainstream, due to how ridiculously delicious it is. Today, there are many iterations, twists, and family recipes. Here’s how I like to make it.
Red Beans
Ingredients
16-oz. red beans or kidney beans, soaked for 6-8 hours, then drained (you can also use 4 15.5 -oz. cans)
4-6 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or bone broth (you can sub water, just add more spices)
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 medium carrots, finely chopped
1-1/2 to 2 cups celery, finely chopped
Optional - 1 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
Optional – 1-pound andouille sausage, browned
1-2 tbsp Cajun seasoning (equal parts, cayenne, paprika, thyme, oregano, black pepper, unrefined salt)
2 bay leaves
2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
Sauté the carrots, onion, celery and peppers together until fairly translucent and soft.
In a large pot or pressure cooker, combine with browned andouille, red beans, Cajun seasoning, unrefined salt, bay leaves and apple cider vinegar. Add water to just cover the top of the mixture.
Cover the pot and cook for 3-4 hours on low. If using a pressure cooker, set for 30 minutes. If you are stovetop cooking using canned beans, cook for 30 minutes on low.
Serve with hot sauce over 3:1 cauliflower and rice blend (below). Serves 8.
3:1 Cauliflower and Rice
Ingredients
1 cups jasmine rice
2 cups water or broth
3 cups riced cauliflower
1-2 pinch unrefined salt (optional)
1 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions:
Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat until all the water is absorbed, usually about 20 min.
Serves 6-8.