New Orleans Beans

“Beans! beans!

Good for your heart!

The more you eat, the more you…”*

I have a new favorite recipe. Even more so now because it is one of the few dishes that I really, really, enjoy eating while pregnant. I suppose the protein has something to do with it. I discovered this dish from a Big Oven app I installed on my phone. Its called New Orleans Red Beans. After three or four times of making it however, I do a few things differently that save me time. Here is my version:

3-4 cans of beans. Two of which should be red kidney beans. The others can be black beans, black eyed peas, chick peas, white northern beans, etc.
5 stalks of celery
2 green peppers
1 large onion
1 package of kielbasa sausage
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt
pepper
2ish tablespoons scorned woman hot sauce
2ish tablespoons lemon juice
a good nap (required)

“Beans! Beans!

The musical fruit!

The more you eat, the more you…”*

1. Gather all ingredients at one time because if you are like me, it’s three in the afternoon, kids need a nap (and so do I!) and you will forget a key component … oh like the onion…it comes out okay, but not as great. Believe me.

2. Heat olive oil in large pot, set to medium-heat. Dice the trio: Onion, peppers, and stalks of celery and throw them in the pot. Sprinkle with salt.

3. Dice sausage (sample if necessary, with a piece of extra sharp cheddar cheese if you really need it). Throw in the pot with sweating veggies.

4. Open cans of beans. Rinse thoroughly. Throw in pot. Sprinkle with salt.

5. Cover entire mixture with water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add in lemon juice and scorned woman hot sauce (If you don’t like spicy you can skip the hot sauce). If you do like spicy, add a bit more sauce. Or another option is to refer to the original recipe and use their flavorings there. They aren’t bad, just more work.

6. Cover and bring to boil (clean up your kitchen in the meantime or take a snack break with the grumpy clan congregating at your feet).

7. Once boiling, turn down to medium heat, cock that top back for a lazy snooze, and go take a nap. I mean it.

8. Return 30-40 minutes later. Give the pot a stir. Mash some beans to the wall of the pot (inside, not outside) and walk away. Go read a chapter in a book. Take a second nap. Really, I mean it.

9. Return 30 minutes later. Repeat above.

10. Return 20 minutes later. If its looking mushy, you are nearly there. Take the next nap on the couch, closer to the pot, as this stage goes from “hey I’m soup” to “whoa, I’m burning on the bottom!”

Walla! Beans! And it smells SO good.

Serve over rice or with chips or all by itself. Eat it cold or hot. Really, you can’t go wrong with this dish. Its even better as leftovers! If it is a little too spicy for your wee-ones, then mix in sour cream to their portion.

*Darn toot’n I learned both those songs from my mother. She’s  the world’s greatest music teacher and I remember only the classy ones…