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!
Tomato Soup
I don’t know about you, but fall is my absolute favorite season, mainly because it’s the one time of year when my body temperature is semi regulated. Give me a hoodie and a pair of boots and I am a happy girl.
Fall also happens to be SOUP season. Soon as the temp drops before 80, best believe I am making a pot of something. Not only does it fit the season perfectly, but it’s also a one pot, simple meal. Sounds like a winner to me!
Tomato soup is a classic that most of us grew up on. For me, it’s an immediate reminder of my childhood. My mom popping open that Campbells soup can, dumping that red dye #40 goop into a pan, swishing the can with milk (we didn’t use water!) and pouring it over the pot. The soup was thick, creamy and slightly sweet, perfect for dipping a grilled cheese sandwich (made with processed American cheese for maximum gooeyness)
But here’s the thing, I never ate the soup. I dipped the sandwich in less than a cup of soup, always leaving the soup behind. Truthfully, it was gross! I never enjoyed it, but I always craved it.
Now that I am a big girl, with big girl money and internet access, I went searching for the best recipe. Ultimately, the one consistent factor was always the same, you must roast the tomatoes. This recipe will warm your childhood heart and feed your belly!
Different tomatoes, give different flavors, I like a combination. Roma tomatoes, Heirlooms and Globe. Also, something I never knew, was that adding a red bell pepper, will give you that sweetness you remember from childhood.
Ingredients
4 Globe tomatoes
2 Heirloom tomatoes (find some with great color!)
4 Roma tomatoes
One head of garlic
4 basil leaves
1 red bell pepper
1 sweet onion
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ tsp Garlic powder
½ tsp Onion powder
Kosher Salt – to taste
Black pepper – to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Preheat your over to 400 degrees
Start with a large baking sheet, line it with parchment paper, quarter all your vegetables, the tomatoes, onion and red bell pepper. Slice off the top of the head of garlic and place it on the baking sheet, surrounding it, lay your cut vegetables around it. Liberally douse the pan with olive oil, sprinkling pepper and kosher salt to your liking, you also want to add your garlic and onion powder for an extra punch of flavor.
Rinse your basil and tear it into piece, sprinkling it over the mixture.
Place the pan into the oven and roast for 20-25 mins, until the tomatoes are soft and slightly charred.
Allow the mixture to cool until you can handle the ingredients by hand. (don’t be like me and burn yourself, being impatient!) Pull the garlic out and with a squeeze, your fresh roasted garlic should come right out! Discard the shell.
Now whip out your heavy-duty blender and dump your ingredients in, pulsing until smooth.
Grab a large soup pot and pour your pureed mixture in, turn up the heat and add in your chicken broth (now I like to add half at a time, depending on how thick you like it) Bring it up to a boil and then let it simmer for about 5-8 minutes. Give it a taste and re-season needed.
Stir in your parmesan cheese, allowing it to melt completely ( prefer grated parm, but use whatever is on hand) and heavy cream, let it go for another 5 minutes, which you craft the best grilled cheese of your life.
This dish will be a hit with everyone! If you’re feeling fancy, see my recipe for homemade Croutons.
Homemade Croutons
I can’t remember what goddess of entertaining said this, if it was Ina, Martha, or Julia, but I will never forget it. “Sometimes we can’t make everything from scratch, but when you can, make it well”.
Homemade Croutons are by far one the easiest ways to elevate a dish. A salad, a soup, or just as a snack! (throw them on a charcutier board!). I started making them out of necessity, I ran out of the bagged ones, and there was no way I was having a Cesar salad without them! They are simple and so very tasty! Once you make them, those dry little bagged cubes will never grace your table again.
It starts with the bread. I love visiting my local farmers market and grabbing whatever is fresh, for me a quality crusty French bread or sourdough will always do the trick.
Ingredients:
4-8 slices of bread
¼ tsp Dried rosemary
½ tsp Dried Parsley
½ tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp Garlic powder
¼ tsp Black pepper
2 tablespoons Olive oil
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
Grab a baking sheet, a sharp bread knife and some parchment paper
Line your pan and dice your bread into cubes, I like to leave them a little larger, but keep in mind, the smaller they are, the faster they will crisp up.
Don’t cut off the crust! Trust me, you’ll want that crunchy bit.
Place your cubes into a mixing bowl and drizzle your olive oil on top, a little at a time, you don’t want the cubes soaked or they will not dry out, you may not use all the oil, based upon how many slices of bread you use. Add each of your seasonings and give it a good mix. You can do this on the pan, but I find doing it in a bowl gives your bread the best coating. Spread the cubes out into a single layer on the pan and place into the oven. Start with 7-8 mins, give the pan a jiggle to make sure everything gets evenly toasted. You’ll want to watch it carefully; I cannot tell you how many times I have burned these!
Once they are toasted to your liking, let them cool and serve! Keep in an airtight baggy or container.
Side Note: the seasonings can be switched up with anything you have on hand! Don’t be afraid to play with flavors.
