Rice and Beans

If you're cutting down on meat but still craving something filling and meaty, this dish will not disappoint you. Rice and beans are my husband's all time favorite food. He often asks me to make it. This dish reheats easily and makes a perfect leftover food for lunch on the next day.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white basmati rice, cooked
• 2 15-oz cans of red beans, rinsed and drained
• 3.5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 6 celery stalks, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced (I used half red and half yellow this time)
• 4 garlic gloves, minced
• 3 Vegan Italian sausages (I used Tofurky Italian Sausage found in every health aisle section), cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and black pepper
• green onions to garnish

In a blender, puree 1 can of red beans with 3.5 cups vegetable broth. Add the remaining can of beans to the mixture, but do not puree.

Heat the oil in a large stew pot. Add the onions, celery, and red peppers and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the sausage, paprika, thyme, remaining can of beans, and bean puree, bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve over hot rice garnished with green onions.

You may think that you have too much water, but it is okay. The dish is supposed to be a little brothy. When you serve it with rice, make sure you pour a few spoonfulls of broth over your rice. It's yummy. When you refridgerate the leftovers, the broth will become thicker. This make a perfect leftover lunch for the next day.

The recipe is adapted from "Vegan Cooking for Carnivores" by Roberto Martin