Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Meatless, tasty, spicy, cheap and filling. A vegetarian recipe from Cajun Cooking by Marjie Lambert. The cookbook is not vegetarian but does have some vegetarian entrees. There is a recipe for Sweet Potato and Pecan Pie that is sublime. Everything I have ever made from the book has been a winner. The only thing required to make this vegan is to substitute vegan sour cream for the dairy sour cream in the recipe. I like to add a bit of lemon juice to vegan sour cream to give it a bit more of a sour taste. More proof that eating vegan once a week can be effortless and tasty!

1lb dried kidney beans
3 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4(or more) garlic cloves, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1green pepper, seeded and chopped
1T salt
1/4t(or more) cayenne
1/4t black pepper
1/4t white pepper
1t dried thyme
1 1/t ground cumin
1t dry mustard
1 bay leaf
6oz can tomato paste
1/2 c dry red wine
a few drops(or more) Tabasco
1 rib celery, chopped
1/2c chopped green pepper
4 green onions chopped
cooked rice to serve
vegan sour cream

Salsa
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped(I used 2 cups of cherry tomatoes)
4 green onions chopped
1/2 long mild chili, such as Anaheim or Poblano(I used Jalapeno)
1T fresh chopped parsley or cilantro
1T white wine vinegar
1T olive oil
Tabasco to taste

Soak the kidney beans in water overnight. Drain and then cover with approximately six cups of water. Bring to a simmer and skim off the scum that comes to the top. Meanwhile, saute the onion, garlic, green pepper, carrot and celery in olive oil until wilted. Add to the beans along with the seasonings, tomato paste and wine and continue simmering, stirring occasionally.



After about 30 minutes, taste the sauce, add Tabasco to taste and adjust the seasonings. Cook the beans until tender, a total of 1-1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine all the salsa ingredients. Allow the flavors to blend for about 1 hour, then taste and add more Tabasco if desired.



Just before serving, stir the chopped celery, green pepper and green onions in to the bean mixture. Serve the beans over the rice, then top with salsa and sour cream.





Easy and delicious!