New Orleans Style Red beans and rice
Ok this is a fan favorite! I love a good stretch meal and this is IT! So, I know rice and beans sounds like a “blah” meal, but if you love New Orleans and the cuisine like I do, you know this is a flavor packed comfort meal!
This recipe isn’t hard to make but it takes TIME. This is a low and slow situation that the whole family will enjoy!
Ingredients
1 bag of kidney beans (doesn’t matter if they are light or dark)
1 package of smoked turkey sausage
1 green bell pepper – diced
Half of a sweet white onion- diced
2 stalks of celery – diced
4 cloves of garlic – minced
6 cups of chicken broth (I used reduced sodium)
2 tablespoons of creole seasoning
½ teaspoon of black pepper
¼ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
½ teaspoon of onion powder
2 bay leaves
Instructions:
Rinse your beans and add them to a bowl, cover with water and let them soak, it’s recommended to let them soak overnight, but I usually start them early in the morning and they are still tender by dinner. If you have the time, overnight is best!
Dice your onion, bell pepper and celery, heat a large pot with a little bit of vegetable oil.
Add your diced veggies and sweat them on medium heat for 4-5 mins. You don’t want them to brown; just sweat them to they are soft and translucent.
Slice your sausage and mince your garlic, once your veggies are soft, add the sausage and garlic to the pot. Saute for another 3-4 minutes, until the sausage starts to brown. At this point you want to add in your seasonings. Give everything a good stir and add in your drained beans.
Add your chicken broth and bring the pot up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 2-3 hours until the beans are tender. Smash a few beans against the side of the pot for added creaminess.
Serve over white rice, as a side or an entrée!
Shrimp fried rice
Let’s talk meals, that’s what we are here for right? Its FORK and Flourish, so let’s dive into some EATS!
If you are anything like me, you like GOOD food and I am a firm believer that good food can still be QUICK and SIMPLE (ok enough caps Alison) but seriously, we need to get back to the basics. Simple ingredients we have in our kitchens and 30 minutes or less to prepare. One of my favorite things to do is revamp a leftover. I notoriously over portion, it never fails, I make too much pasta, too much rice, too many potatoes and I’m stuck with leftovers. So let me get you hip!
An easy way to use up day old rice… FRIED rice. I learned from my favorite Chinese food restaurant that they use day old rice most of the time as it holds up better to being fried (don’t be weird, day old rice is FINE) so here is my recipe for a simple shrimp fried rice served as an entrée.
Ingredients
White Rice – 2 cups
Scallions (green onion? Whatever toots your horn) ¼ cup
White onion – ¼ cup diced
2 carrots – shredded (I usually keep a bag of shredded on hand)
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
2 eggs – scrambled
8-10 shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
1 /2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Take a large saucepan (you want some room to move your ingredients) and start it on medium heat. Melt your butter and add in your rice, now this is the “frying in fried rice” coat the rice and add in the soy sauce, now you want to let it get a little crispy, but keep moving it so it doesn’t burn. Watch for the color, let it get a little dark and then add in your veggies, continue to sauté for about 2-3 mins to soften the veggies.
Crack your eggs and scramble them in a separate bowl.
In the pan with your rice, scoot everything to one side, tip the pan towards you and add your eggs to one side of the pan. Using a fork, scramble those bad boys off to the side, as they get a little hard, slowly integrate the eggs into the rice. Once the egg curdles, mix it all together.
Turn off the heat and set aside, now let’s talk about the shrimp!
Add two tablespoons of oil to a pan and add your shrimp and seasonings, sauté until opaque. Don’t overcook them!
Pack your rice into a small serving bowl (this is a cute way to present your dish) flip it over onto a plate and top with your shrimp! Now you have a fancy shrimp fried rice.
Add a side of broccoli or garlicy green beans for more veggies!
