Cajun Seasoned Rice n' Beans

I love beans.  I am such a fan of them.  Almost all of them.  Whether it is a bean or a pea, I've never been sure, but I have never liked Black Eyed Peas.  Maybe I've just not had them the right way.  Whatever it is, those little boogers are not on my list of things to experiment with in the kitchen. 

Back in late October, early November, I went to visit Jeremy and met his folks for the first time.  Larry and Claudia were such wonderful people.  I really enjoyed meeting them, even though I was incredibly nervous beforehand.  The visit went awesome.  I made some tasty food for them, including some stuffed peppers that I will put on here at some point in time, and some pumpkin pie pancakes.  Before I cooked anything for them, Claudia cooked a wonderful meal for me with Rice n' Beans and some steamed brocoli.  It was just fantastic.  She told me that the bean she used was called Anasazi beans.  Jeremy nicknamed them cowbeans because of the pattern on the bean.

I have since found out that Anasazi beans have half the gas producing power of other beans.  A definite plus in my mind.  While shopping in the bulk foods section at GoodFoods Coop in Lexington, I stumbled upon them, and eagerly filled a bulk bag with them.  I love bulk buying, and I can't tell you how excited I was to find these beans!

Then I realized, I had no clue how she had seasoned them or what she had done to them.  But, I decided to experiment with making them cajun style.  I snagged some bulk brown rice.  I went over to the spice section and grabbed some cajun seasoning and bay leaves.  I also got some garlic powder with parsley in it.  I figured this was a good start.  I just needed to add some veggies.  I decided not to make it too spicy or no one else would eat it.  And the result was pretty darn tasty.

(OMG PICTURES!!!)  But yes, this is my version of Cajun Seasoned Rice n' Beans.  On the veggies, I went with Onion, green bell pepper, a serano pepper, a couple of cloves of garlic minced, and just the flesh of some small tomatoes that are still on the vine. 

This is totally worth making and super, super simple.  It does take time if you want to get the flavors and textures just right.  If you don't, swing by and grab some tomorrow.  I still have a good sized crockpot full of the tasty stuff.  If not, I'll take what is leftover to school on Monday to Ranetta and Jen. 

Ingredients for beans:

1 c. beans of choice, soaked overnight
2 good-sized bay leaves
2 Tbsp. cajun seasonings
1 tsp. garlic powder with parsley
1 tsp. salt
water

Directions for beans:

1. Place beans in a crockpot and cover with water.  The water should be about a half inch above the beans.
2.  Add in the seasonings and stir until well combined.
3. Pop the top on the crockpot and cook on high for at least 12 hours, or until beans become creamy.  Depending on how much water you put in, it could take longer.  If you want a short cook time, put in a little less water or cook on the stove. 
4. Once done cooking, remove the bay leaves.

If for some reason you are rushing on this part, just cook the beans on the stove in a large pot.  This will cut down the cook time tremendously.

Ingredients for rice:

1/2 of an onion diced
1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced
1 serano pepper, diced
4-5 tomatoes from the vine, seeds discarded and flesh diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 c. veggie broth
1 c. brown rice

Directions for rice:

1.  Add all the ingredients into a pot or rice cooker.
2. Simply cook until rice is done.
3. Take rice and add to beans and stir until well combined.
4. Grab a bowl or plate and chow down.

If you don't like brown rice, you can use white rice.  And, if the beans don't have enough salt, add as much as you like.  I don't really use a ton of salt, but some folks do. 

Like I said, if you want, come snag some.  If not, more for Ranetta and Jen on Monday!