A few months ago, I realized that I had developed a few food intolerances. One to my absolute favorite snack. Cheese (and other dairy products). So, when I came across The Accidental Vegan by Devra Gartenstein, I knew I had to take it home with me, because I too, was on my way to accidentally becoming a vegan. I'm going to do a separate post about the book and some of my other favorite vegan and vegetarian cook books, but I couldn't resist sharing this recipe I made last night.
My husband has been giving me a hard time about being a vegetarian. This happens every 3 - 4 months or when he eventually realizes he hasn't had meat in weeks. (Doh!) I decided for one of my scheduled cooking days (we share cooking duty), I would fix up something I knew he couldn't resist. Cajun Red Beans & Rice. He loved it so much, he actually went back for seconds! Who said you need meat to get to a man's heart? Just good cooking! Hope you enjoy! (p.s. It's super easy. Great way to impress someone without putting in all the work).
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced (I love garlic, so I did about four or five cloves)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked small red beans or 1 (15-ounce) can, drained (I used drained to speed up the process)
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
4 ounces of vegan sausage, cut in 1/2-inch slices (I used vegan Italian sausage)
2 tablespoons Vegan Worcestershire sauce ( I made mine from scratch)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
Hot sauce
Directions
Heat the oil in a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat, add the onion, garlic and bell pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes., until the onion is soft. Stir in the beans, rice, vegan sausage, Worcestershire sauce, salt and liquid smoke and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until heated throughout. Season to taste with hot sauce before serving.