Borracho beans

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2 cans pinto beans drained

6 sliced bacon cooked

1 tablespoon grease from bacon

1 small yellow onion diced

1/2 green bell pepper diced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 can IPA beer

2 cups chicken broth

Place all in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Salt to taste.

 

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Slow cooker red beans and rice

This is Valerie Bertinelli’s recipe from Food Network. As I have said before I am not a big fan of crock pots. A few exceptions exist, but they don’t typically cook with flavor and textures that I like. This recipe is really good. I had a very busy day and had to find a slow cooker recipe. I think it more should be called sausage and red bean chili than authentic red beans and rice because it is lacking the usual Louisiana spices of thyme and such.B8A5D897-C11E-4DAF-B26B-F38D9C74AB0E

Here we go….

1 pound Andouilli sausage chopped

1 pound dried red beans

3 stalks of celery chopped

1 cup diced ham

1 medium onion chopped

1 large green bell pepper chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumen

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

Salt and pepper

4 cups chicken broth

cooked white rice and sliced green onions

First I grilled the sausage on the propane grill at 400 for about 15-20 minutes.

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Then i chopped the sausage and threw everything into the crockpot. It cooked on low. The recipe said 8 hours. No way! It was done in 4-5. It was 4 hours earlier than I planned so it was re-warmed for dinner. I did soak my beans for 4 hours and her recipe did not call for soaking. That is likely why mine cooked faster. She also did not recommend grilling the sausage first. I really enjoy the taste of the grilled sausage.

 

Easy black beans

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This side dish is so simple. It really can go with any meal, but my favorite is to have it with tacos, over nachos, or with smoked pork and rice. It has no added oil or fat. The flavor all comes from vegetables.

 

1 can black beans – drain and rinse

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

1 small jalapeno – sliced

1/4 tomato diced – any kinds work

1 tsp cumen

1.5 cans of water – use the rinsed bean can

1 tsp chicken bouillon

1 handful fresh cilantro leaves

 

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid turns a bit cloudy.

 

This never quite tastes the same. Sometimes I add a bit of leftover bacon. Sometimes I add fresh garlic. It is always fantastic. I have to say the combination above is my favorite. Tonight i made the same thing bit with pinto beans instead of black beans. Still wonderful!

 

Here are the peppers I picked yesterday. It is November and the garden is still going strong!

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