Love, Sweat, and Beers

Happy Fat Tuesday! Would you believe I’ve never been to Mardi Gras? It always looks like such a fun party. Perhaps one day I’ll make it there… or maybe not.

St. Patty’s, Mardi Gras… You get the idea.

Even though it’s Fat Tuesday, I’m { trying } to keep things pretty lean here. It’s not like I’m giving anything up for Lent, so there’s really no change here.

Of course, I’m still celebrating in my own way. On Sunday night, I made a bayou themed meal in honor of the occasion. It’s extremely simple, so I didn’t plan on posting a recipe. However, it turned out really yummy! I decided it was share-worthy after all.

Red Beans n’ Rice

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbs butter or oil (I used Earth Balance spread.)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2-3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs salt-free Cajun seasoning
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional – per your taste)
• 1 28 oz can salt-free diced tomatoes, with juices
• 1.5 cups water
• 2 cups brown rice
• 2 15 oz cans kidney beans, divided
• hot sauce for topping (optional – we used Emeril‘s)

Directions

1. Heat oil/butter in a large pot over medium. Add onion and saute until softened. Add celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Continue cooking approximately 6 minutes. Stir in seasoning and red pepper flakes. Stir until fragrant.
2. Pour in the entire can of tomatoes with their juices, and add the water. Bring to a boil, and add the rice.
3. Cover and turn down the heat to low.
4. Rinse and drain 1 can of beans, then mash it in handfuls as you add it to the pot. The beans can still be chunky. Rinse and drain the second can of beans, and simply add them to the pot without mashing. Stir.
5. Allow this mixture to simmer approximately 45 minutes while covered, or until rice has finished cooking. Stir occasionally.
6. Top with hot sauce if desired.

Perfect for a chilly February night! Sausage would have been great in this, but I was going for a lower-fat Tuesday. A warm, crusty French baguette would also make for a nice lagniappe. This would normally make 4 servings, but Kevin was pretty hungry on Sunday, thus leaving leftovers for only one of us last night.

• Are you giving anything up for Lent?
• Are you celebrating Fat Tuesday?