Creole Red Beans and Rice

 I took my oldest on a "food trip" last Friday, and after stopping at Gizdich Ranch, Corralitos Market and Sausage Co, and Gayle's Bakery, we had a terrific spaghetti dinner.

Today I found i still had a couple of links of Corralitos Andoulle sausage, and figured I needed to do something with it. Luckily I found a recipe for Cajun Red Beans and Rice at Damn Delicious that I was able to twist to my needs.

Heres my Creole version of the recipe!

Ingredients:

    1 cup rice

    1 tablespoon vegetable oil

    1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced or ham, diced

    1 medium sweet onion, diced

    1 bell pepper, any color, diced

    2 celery ribs, diced

    2 tablespoons lemon juice

    2 tablespoons tomato paste

    3 cloves garlic, minced or 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

    1 1/2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

    3 (15-ounce) cans red beans, drained and rinsed

    3 cups chicken stock

    1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

    In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.

    Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes; set aside.

    Add onion, bell pepper and celery. Use the lemon juice to deglaze the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

    Stir in tomato paste, garlic and Cajun seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.

    Stir in red beans, chicken stock, hot sauce, and sausage; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover; continue to simmer until reduced, an additional 15 minutes.

    Using a wooden spoon, mash beans until slightly thickened, if desired; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

    Serve immediately, topped with rice and garnished with parsley, if desired.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

 I’ve been searching for a good recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers, and finally had to wave the white flag. Nobody has a good recipe. Until I created one today.

I feel like everyone else’s recipe are too bland. Hamburger? Nah. We’re not making cheeseburgers here! We’re stuffing bell peppers!

Yep, this is my recipe, tested on my family. At least one of my kids was upset that it didn’t make more.

So here’s my recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers:

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients 

4 large bell peppers, any color

1 lb ground mild Italian sausage

1-1/2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes 

3/4 cups peeled and chopped summer squash or zucchini 

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup onion, chopped 

1 tbsp Italian seasonings 

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

2-4 tbsp olive oil 

1 cup grated cheddar jack

1 cup white rice, cooked

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 

8 slices fresh mozzarella 

Brown and crumble the Italian sausage. While it’s cooking, cut the bell peppers in half and remove the ribs and seeds. Finely chop the Roma tomatoes, squash, onion, and peel the garlic. Once the sausage is browned and crumbled, transfer to a bowl, and caramelize the onion in the same pan that the you cooked the sausage in. Add the tomatoes and squash. Allow to simmer and add the garlic and Italian seasonings, adding olive oil if the sausage fat is absorbed quickly. Reduce the temperature and allow to thicken and reduce. Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer for another minute. Turn off the heat and add the rice, sausage, cheddar jack, and Parmesan cheeses and mix thoroughly. Place the peppers into a casserole dish just big enough to hold them, and fill each half with the mixture. Add up to 1-1/2 cups of water to the dish around the peppers, then cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Uncover, place a slice of mozzarella on each, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.