Red Beans and Rice

The girl child and I ran a couple of errands today

(do I win the fun day with mom award or what?)

We needed to stop at some drug store or superstore for a couple things for the house.

As we were leaving one place, we noticed a drug store across the way.

We knew it was there, but it's not often we would shop at that end of town as we have the same sort of stores closer to home. This day though, I would have had to pull a U-Turn to get to the one closer to home...or...just pull into this store's parking lot and get what we needed.

We both decided that would be the smarter option. Just for the 2 things we needed.

Yeah.

Have you ever walked into a store and felt dirty?

This is a chain, and they are building new ones everywhere...but apparently they decided this one was not worth renovating.

The shelves were messy, the employees looked like they hated their jobs, and even the clientele seemed a little "odd".

We grabbed what we needed and high-tailed it out of there.

Granted, we got what we needed, but I think that will be our first and last trip to that particular location. We will stick to the newer stores.

Ingredients:

2 Pkg Kielbasa

1 Pkg center cut ham (cubed)

1 Lb red beans (soaked overnight)

1 Lg yellow onion (diced)

1 Green pepper (diced)

1 Tbsp Garlic (minced)

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients into a large pot

2. Cover with water, 1-2 inches above ingredients

3. Bring to a boil

4. Simmer 2 hours or more

5. Serve over rice

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Gah! Forgot the green pepper!

Come party with me HERE!

Red Beans and Rice Soup with Kielbasa

Sometimes I am at a loss for what to write here!
I am constantly torn between sharing all these great memories and stories that form my world, and trying to protect the privacy of my friends and family.

Blogging is fantastic, it's a platform for thoughts, hints, help, and support.
Sadly though, just like with any public anything, here are people who use this information to the detriment of others.

Starting this post, I had multiple ideas swimming in my brain...but there was no way to tell my tale without some serious identifiers.

If you blog, or use social media, do you worry about the same?

Especially for my girl child. I don't want the world to know more about her than she is willing to share.

I don't think I am being overly paranoid. Sadly.

On a happier note:
Since we are talking about the girl, she was my biggest cheerleader while making this soup.
I had seen it in an edition of Woman's Day and thought it would be a good fit for my family. We had it for dinner, and then again for lunch another day later on.
As we were washing the dishes from the second serving, she asked if I would make this again soon. Anything for my girl!

Ingredients:

½ Cup long grain white rice

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

6 oz Beef kielbasa, cut into ¼ inch pieces

1 Large onion, chopped

2 Stalks celery, chopped

1 Large green pepper, chopped

Kosher salt

3 Cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Creole seasoning

3 Cups chicken broth

1 can (15 ½ oz) Kidney beans

5 Cups kale

1 Cup water

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions

2. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat

3. Add kielbasa and cook until browned. Transfer to a bowl.

4. Add onion and cook until tender. Add celery, pepper, ½ the salt and cook 3 minutes

5. Add garlic and Creole seasoning. Cook for 1 minute.

6. Return kielbasa, add chicken broth and 1 cup water.

7. Simmer 5 minutes

8. Gently mash half the beans

9. Stir the beans and rice into the soup.

10. Add kale and simmer until tender.

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Red Beans and Rice

I don't remember where/why/how/when but one day hubby declared "I just don't like any Cajun food".
Considering he loves spice...and has never HAD any Cajun food, I thought it was an odd thing to say.

Playing around online, I found this recipe and decided to adapt it to my own needs (read: convenience).

I had bought Cajun seasoning for another recipe a million years ago and was psyched to be able to use some more of it. Hate buying something and having to throw it away!

The only "difficulty" I found in this recipe was finding chipotle powder. Apparently it isn't a hot commodity at my closest grocery store. I found some chipotle marinade and used some of that powder. If it changed or "ruined" the flavor, I wouldn't be aware. Tasted good to us!

Hubby has now decided that he is willing and able to try more Cajun recipes...yay for breaking down barriers!



Ingredients:
2 cans (15.5 oz) kidney beans
4 Garlic cloves (chopped)
1 Tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp powdered chicken stock
1 Tsp garlic salt
1 Tsp dried chipotle powder
1 Tsp liquid smoke
2-3 Bay leaves
1 Onion (chopped)
1 bell pepper (chopped)
1 Tbsp butter
1-2 Tbsp salt (according to taste)
1-2 Tsp cajun seasoning
¼ Cup butter
1 Tsp tabasco sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Lb smoked sausage

Directions:
1. Drain beans and place in crock pot along with black pepper, chicken stock, garlic, garlic salt, bay leaves, chipotle powder, and liquid smoke.
2. Cover with water until it just covers the bean mixture.
3. Saute peppers and onions with butter
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours
5. Remove bay leaves, add ¼ cup butter and stir.
6. Add cornstarch with a small amount of water to dissolve, add to bean mixture to thicken.
7. Cook rice according to package.
8. Slice smoked sausage and cook until nicely browned.
9. Season with salt if desired.
10. Put rice in single serving bowls, add beans, top with sausage.
11. Sprinkle with additional cajun seasoning and/or tabasco if desired.

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The Weber package was my chipotle marinade

So, I made the servings way too big. This is an incredibly filling meal!

Kielbasa Saute

I just came up with this name, aren't I just clever?

My mom always made this as a quick (cheap) weeknight meal. Whenever we asked what was for dinner, we got "you know that kielbasa, cabbage thing!".
I will admit, I still find myself calling it that. Time for something a little more specific.

This is a great one pan meal. Quick cooking for the weeknights, but oh-so-filling.
Sometimes I throw this in the crock pot after it cooked to bring to parties and pot lucks, it always goes over well.

One of the best parts about this (as the one cooking) is that you don't have to take the time to peel the potato! You can if you want, but I find it easier to just wash and cut. The skin is where all the nutrients are and it helps keep the potato chunks intact.

I buy kielbasa whenever it is a great deal, so there is always one in the freezer. It defrosts on the counter (enough to cut) in about 30 minutes, so no "I forgot to take anything out of the freezer" excuse.

We always serve this with baked beans on the side. If we have some crusty bread too, all the better!

Hint: I LOVE it cold the next day for lunch too. No need to heat!

As far as how much of each veggie...it all depends on how many you are feeding. I always count on one baked potato sized potato per person and a handful of baby carrots per person.
Needless to say, the more (or less) you make, you might have to adjust the spices and vinegar.

Ingredients:
Kielbasa
Potato
Carrots
Onion
Cabbage
Italian Seasoning
Oil
Vinegar (white or apple cider)
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
1. Cut potato into bite sized chunks
2. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in large pan
3. Add potato. While potato is cooking, cut carrots
4. Add carrots.
5. Cut onion, cabbage, and kielbasa
6. Season potato and carrots with Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper
7. Cook for about 5 minutes. Veggies should be starting to soften.
8. Add another 2 Tbsp oil
9. Add onion, cabbage, and kielbasa
10. Stir mixture together and cook another 10 minutes, stirring every so often
11. Add ¼ cup vinegar
12. Cook for another 10 or so, stirring every so often
13. Season to taste with more Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper

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Just a couple ingredients, nothing intimidating

Oh how I wish this was a scratch and sniff screen!