Louisiana Plant-Based Red Beans and Rice

Mar 10

This is delicious served with my Plant-Based Cornbread.

1 pound dry red beans or kidney beans

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chopped onion

4 celery ribs, chopped

1 cup chopped kale

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

3 bay leaves,

2 teaspoons thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, more or less depending on how much spice you prefer

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons chopped chipotle pepper - the type that comes canned in adobo sauce, or 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder

1/2 - 1 tablespoon hot sauce - I use Tabasco Chipotle Sauce

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

Have cooked brown rice prepared for serving.

Rinse and sort beans to ensure all pebbles are removed, then add to a large stockpot and cover beans with water, going 2 inches above beans and soak overnight. As an alternative, bring beans to a boil for 3 minutes, remove from heat and soak for at least 1 hour. Drain beans and rinse.
Prepare all of your vegetables and have herbs and spices measured (mise en place). Put the beans back in the pot and cover them with water going 2 inches above the beans. Place over high heat and bring to a boil.
Add vegetables, except kale, herbs and spices to the pot. Reduce the heat to a rolling gentle simmer, cook, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender and falling apart. This can take up to 2-3 hours depending on how fresh your beans are, old beans take longer to soften, adding additional water if necessary. Once the beans are tender, stir in the chopped kale and check the seasonings, adding more if you prefer a bolder taste and simmer 10 minutes longer or until the sauce is thick and beans are falling apart. Not too long or you’ll have mush.
Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice.

Serves 6-8