[shel]

Hi,

I'm looking for some "kicked up" rice and beans recipes. Got anything interesting, especially with brown rice?

Shel

[mredikop]

"Louisiana" Brown Rice and Black Beans

Make the rice according to the package usually two cups of water for 1 cup of rice, when rice is just "al dente" add in about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of washed black beans, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, 1 veined/chopped habanero pepper and 1 tbsp of Louisiana hot sauce and stir. Once rice is done fold in snipped parsely and add a little salt and pepper to taste after plating.

You can also add grilled or sauteed andouille sausage for a good entree or serve as a side with CFS (Country Fried Steak) or get even crazier and add additonal stuff like pineapple or granny smith apples for a little flair.

[shel]

Originally Posted by mredikop

... when rice is just "al dente" add in about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of washed black beans ... and 1 Tbs of Louisiana hot sauce ...

I'm unclear on what you mean by washed beans. Do you mean cleaned dry beans, or something else. If dry beans, it doesn't seem like there'd be enough time to cook them.

I like the recipe idea ... I love habanero peppers and it's easy to find really good andouille sausage here.

Is "Louisiana" hot sauce a brand or particular type of hot sauce?

[mredikop]

Originally Posted by shel

I'm unclear on what you mean by washed beans. Do you mean cleaned dry beans, or something else. If dry beans, it doesn't seem like there'd be enough time to cook them.

I like the recipe idea ... I love habanero peppers and it's easy to find really good andouille sausage here.

Is "Louisiana" hot sauce a brand or particular type of hot sauce?

Louisiana hot sauce is a type of hot sauce. There are loads of them on the market but, the "original" is apparently made by Bruce Foods. The Bruce Foods one is the one I use most often just because it is at my little market where I shop.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Hot_Sauce

I meant to say wash canned black beans in a collander a la Rachel Ray.

It is just faster to use canned beans than cook them yourself unless you make a large batch and refrigerate it.

[shel]

Originally Posted by mredikop

Louisiana hot sauce is a type of hot sauce. There are loads of them on the market but, the "original" is apparently made by Bruce Foods. The Bruce Foods one is the one I use most often just because it is at my little market where I shop.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Hot_Sauce

I meant to say wash canned black beans in a collander a la Rachel Ray.

It is just faster to use canned beans than cook them yourself unless you make a large batch and refrigerate it.

Thanks - I don't recall ever seeing a Louisiana hot sauce around these parts, but I can certainly improvise, although I'd not mind tasting the Bruce Foods version. Never cared much for Tabasco sauce - found it pretty flavorless, much preferring sauces like Marie Sharp's habanero sauce and a few other sauces.

Sounds "Yummo!" And I almost always have some brown rice made and either frozen or in the fridge. I tend to make a batch every week or two, and canned beans are another staple around here. I think I've got dinner figured out - thanks so much. This looks like a nice, simple way to kick up rice and beans.

Shel

[phatch]

I like the rice to be cooked with garlic and butter. I add some spicy barbecue sauce to the beans. And some barbecued pulled pork if I have any on hand for the beans as well.

Phil

[shel]

Originally Posted by mredikop

You can also add grilled or sauteed andouille sausage for a good entree or serve as a side with CFS (Country Fried Steak) or get even crazier and add additonal stuff like pineapple or granny smith apples for a little flair.

Hmmm .... there are some mangoes in the kitchen. Perhaps they might work with this rice-beans thing. Gotta try that and see how it goes. Thanks again!

Shel

[shel]

Originally Posted by mredikop

[...] when rice is just "al dente" add in about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of washed black beans, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, 1 veined/chopped habanero pepper and 1 tbsp of Louisiana hot sauce and stir

Hi Mike,

Your solution got me to thinking, and this morning I made a habanero-infused basmati rice. Before cooking I sautéed the rice in a little unsalted butter and threw a few pieces of habnero into the mix. I then boiled the cooking liquid (water and a light vegetable stock) with some habanero seeds and crushed garlic added to it. When the rice was nice and fragrent, I picked out the pieces of the habanero, added the boiling stock to the rice through a strainer, and cooked the rice as usual. That resulted in the rice having a nice, "warm" background to which other spices and herbs can be added towards the end of cooking or when the rice is removed and plated. So, thanks for the inspiration

BTW, I had a small bowl of the fresh cooked rice sprinkled with a mixture of fresh ground cardamom, corriander, and Szechuan peppers.

Shel