Easy Red Beans and Rice with Cornbread

                                       
                                                                
                                  

      Coming back from our last minute camping trip we made this dish for lunch. It does have a little spice but my kids gobbled it up anyway. I like adding a little extra spice. I cooked the beans from dry after a quick soak. If you have never tried slow cooking beans, you need to! They have a really delicious taste when fresh.

  Beans are an excellent source of fiber, protein and other healthy substances. They should be a part of every one's diet whether that diet is a vegetarian one or not. Opening a can of beans is easy and inexpensive, but cooking dried beans is even less expensive. The health benefits of dried beans exceed those of canned beans, also. Canned beans have more sodium, less fiber and may contain sugar in the form of corn syrup. Whenever possible, cooking dried beans is the healthiest way to go.  In addition to its beneficial effects on the digestive system and the heart, soluble fiber helps stabilize blood sugar levels. If you have insulin resistance, hypoglycemia or diabetes, kidney beans can really help you balance blood sugar levels while providing steady, slow-burning energy.

This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, nut-free, contains soy



Easy Red Beans and Rice with Cornbread

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice

* 1 can of red kidney beans

* 1/2 soyrizo

* 1 TBSP gluten-free vegan Worcestershire (i like pick a pepper sauce)

* 1 TBSP liquid smoke

* 1/2 diced onion

* 1/2 diced green pepper

* Vegetable stock

*2 chopped celery stalks




Instructions:
Spray  a large skillet. Add the onion, celery and pepper over medium heat. Saute the mixture for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add Worcestershire and liquid smoke to the pan and stir into the vegetables. Add the rice, beans, and chorizo to the pan. Add vegetable stock in splash increments if it seems too dry for you liking. You may also add dabs of liquid smoke depending on how Cajun you like it. Cook the mixture on low for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Top with some hot sauce. YUM!

                                                            

For the cornbread we used Bob Red Mills and cooked as directed. I replaced the egg with egg replacer powder and the milk with almond milk.