Thursday, January 19, 2012

Louisiana Red Beans & Rice...
vegan style!
It's Mardi Gras season again and it gives me a great excuse to try to veganize all my favorite Cajun dishes. Quite a daunting task when you consider all the butter, meat and cream that go into my favorites...
jambalaya, etoufee, crab bisque and tonight's red beans & rice.

Well so far, I'm 1 for 1. This dish turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself. Very filling and tasty, with just the right amount of spice. All that was missing was the jazz wafting in from Preservation Hall and a nice tall Hurricane to wash it all down. 
Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Louisiana Red Beans & Rice

6 (15 oz.) cans of red beans, drained and rinsed
1 T olive oil
1/4 c. veg or no-chicken broth (I use Imagine brand no chicken broth)
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
1 large bell pepper, finely chopped 
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T. thyme
1 t. oregano
1 T. liquid smoke or 2 t. smoked paprika
1 t. each of cayenne pepper, black pepper & white pepper
1 c. water or veg/no chicken broth
salt, to taste
Tabasco or hot sauce, to taste

Saute until very soft in the olive oil and veg broth: onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper and garlic. Mid way through the saute, add in spices, stirring well. Meanwhile, drain and rinse beans. Add 1/2 of the beans to the vegetable mixture and mash until beans are no longer whole. Add the water or broth and stir well, add in whole beans and cook over medium heat for approx. 10 minutes, decrease heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add salt and tabasco to taste. Serve with rice (brown is great here!) and crusty French bread. Makes approx. 8 servings.






No comments:

Post a Comment