I love spicy food! Cajun flavors are always a favorite, but they rarely come vegetarian. I have adapted this red beans and rice recipe to include all the spicy and smokey flavors, without the associated sausage.
This recipe is made in the slow cooker, making it a summertime favorite. When standing around the hot stove or oven isn’t cutting it anymore, break out the slow cooker! I have a small slow cooker (1.5 quarts), which is perfect for two people. You can double the recipe for a larger slow cooker and have enough for a crowd!
Presentation is a fun (and sometimes frustrating) part of cooking and photographing food. Here I offer two different ways of going about putting together the beans and the rice. You can go simple and pack rice into half a bowl, then fill with beans (photo below right), or you can go fancy and top your bowl with a rice mound (photo below left). To top with a rice mound, spray a smaller bowl with olive oil, pack with rice, and invert it over the beans.
I like to use butter in this recipe because I think it adds a richer flavor, however olive oil can be used to make this recipe vegan. Smoked paprika is the spice that makes this dish authentic in flavor with out any of the smoked meats, so don’t be tempted to try it without. As always, let me know if you try this recipe. Enjoy!
- 1 cup dried red kidney beans
- 1 TBS butter (substitute olive oil to make vegan)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 6 oz lager style beer
- 2 cups veggie broth
- ⅛ tsp cayenne
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- Soak beans for 8 hours; drain and rinse. Cover with water and simmer 10 minutes to kill bacteria found in kidney beans. Drain and rinse.
- Melt butter in a skillet. Add onion and bell pepper, sauté 5 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add garlic through black pepper. Saute stirring frequently 3-5 more minutes, or until desired softness of veggies. Deglaze pan with about half of the beer. Scrape to loosen all spices and transfer to a 1.5 quart slow cooker. Add remaining beer, broth, cayenne, and bay leaves to slow cooker. Stir in kidney beans.
- Cook on low heat for 7 hours. Check beans for doneness and cook 1 hour on high or low depending on texture of the beans. Meanwhile, don't forget to cook the rice.
Recipe inspired by Cooking Light.
