Red Beans and Rice

Yesterday I made Red Beans and Rice from 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson. I'm not a big OMGer, but OMG--it was out of this world! My omnivore husband loved it too. This would be a great dish to take to a potluck--it will knock the socks off of people. I'm sure I'll go back to this recipe a lot. I served it with Easy Whole Grain Flatbread.

Red Beans and Rice
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry red beans, such as kidney, pinto, cranberry or romano (I used pinto)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlice, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
• 3 cups vegetable stock (I used a flavorful stock I made using roasted veggies)
• 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (I used 1 jalapeno and 2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, plus a few teaspoons of the sauce to give it a smoky flavor)
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped (I don't like bell peppers so didn't use them)
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, optional (I had no idea what the difference in taste would be with the vinegar; I used about 3/4 tbsp)
• 1 cup long-grain rice, cooked
• Finely chopped green onion, parsley, or cilantro (I didn't use)
• Hot pepper sauce (original was very spicy; I didn't use)

Instructions

1. Soak the beans at least six hours; I soaked them overnight. Drain and rinse and set aside.
2. In a skilled, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, salt, and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add beans and stir to coat. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Add vegetable stock and stir well.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until beans are tender. (My beans were tender in just 5 hours, perhaps because of my longer soak.) Add jalapeno peppers, chipotle chili in adobo sauce if using, green pepper and vinegar if using. Cover and cook on High for 20 minutes, until pepper is tender. Stir in rice. Garnish with green onion and serve with hot pepper sauce, if desired.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus (I calculate points using the Recipe Builder tool on WeightWatchers.com): 4