Red Beans and Rice

Did you know beans are a low fat, low-cost source of protein, fiber and vitamins? The carbohydrates in beans have a very low glycemic index. You can read how to reduce food cravings by eating low glycemic foods in "The Glucose Revolution."

I try to serve at least 2 bean based main courses a week. To save time, I adapt recipes so I can cook the beans in my pressure cooker. I modified this delicious recipe from one in Full of Beans. The major changes were to cook the beans in the pressure cooker, add garlic and substitute ham for the ham bone. (I have trouble finding ham bones at my local grocery store.) Note that cooking time for beans depends on their freshness. Because it's better to undercook the beans in the pressure cooker, and then simmer them until done, I suggest only 8 minutes of cooking at high pressure. You can always simmer the beans to finish cooking them. Use this the first time you cook the beans. If your beans are still undercooked, try 10 minutes at pressure the second time you make this recipe.

The bean part of the recipe makes 12 main course servings. Well.... actually Full of Beans thinks it makes 6 main course servings. There is no way my family could eat a serving that big! The rice recipe makes 6 servings. I freeze 1/2 the bean recipe for a later meal. When I make the second meal, I reheat the beans, and make fresh rice.

When I serve this as a main course, I always serve a green salad. You can also serve this as a side dish. I have no particular suggestions for the main course to serve with it.

You can substitute white rice for brown rice. My husband used to hate brown rice until I started making it in the pressure cooker. It turns out he just hates crunchy undercooked rice!

Ohh! Although the recipe tells you how to make this in one day, I usually make the beans the day before (or the weekend before). Once I have everything in the stew pot, I simmer about 10 minutes. Then I cool the stew pot, take out half the beans and freeze, and then put the stew pot in the refrigerator. I serve the refrigerated beans within 4 days.

Lucia

Red Beans

12 oz dried red beans, soaked over night in water. Drain.
12 oz. andouille sausage cut into 1 inch pieces. (Or substitute kielbasa or any other spicy sausage.)
1 T olive oil.
1 1/2 c chopped onion.
1 large green bell pepper, chopped.
4 cloves garlic, minced.
4 scallions, including green tops, sliced.
8 oz ham chopped in pieces.
1 T herbes de Provance. (Substitute thyme if you can't find the herb blend.)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper.

Place red beans in a pressure cooker, add water to just cover the beans. Close lid and set to pressurize. Set pot over high heat until the pressure cooker pressurizes and begins to hiss steadily. Lower heat, and allow to cook 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Allow beans to stand for 10 minutes. Release pressure. (You may place the pot under cold running water to do this.) Open pressure cooker. Beans should be almost tender but not mushy. (The exact cooking time for beans varies. If they are under cooked, you can simmer them more later. If 8 minutes of cooking wasn't enough, note that on the recipe. Next time cook at pressure 10 minutes.)

Transfer beans to a large stew pot. Rinse pressure cooker, and make sure the pressure opening is not obstructed. (This doesn't happen very often, but you should always check the opening on the pressure cooker every time you use it.)

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and brown in batches. When brown, remove sausage and place it in the stew pot. Add oil to skillet; add onion, and garlic. Sauté until translucent. Remove and add to stew pot. Add green pepper and scallions to skillet. Sauté approximately 2 minutes. Remove and add to stew pot. Add ham and seasonings to stew pot. Simmer while preparing rice. (If the beans were not fully cooked, simmer until the beans are done, then prepare the rice.)

Freeze 1/2 the beans for a later meal.

Rice

1 C water,
1 1/2 C brown rice.
1/2 t tabasco.
2 1/2 C water.

Place a trivet in the pressure cooker. Pour in 1 C water. Put brown rice in a heat proof glass bowl. Add tabasco. Place bowl on trivet in pressure cooker. Turn on heat under pressure cooker to bring water to a boil. (If water goes dry, add more. The purpose is to have some boiling water in the bottom of the pressure cooker when you close the pressure cooker during the next few steps.)

Meanwhile, heat 2 1/2 C water to boiling. ( I heat it in the microwave. If you are heating it over the stove, start heating this water before you turn the heat on under the pressure cooker.) When water is boiling, pour over rice and stir quickly. Place lid on pressure cooker, set heat to high and bring pressure cooker up to pressure. When pressure cooker starts to hiss steadily, set timer to 20 minutes. Turn heat down to low. After 20 minutes, turn heat off. Allow rice to stand at least 5 minutes. You can then either release the pressure and serve immediately, or let the rice stand as long as 30 minutes until you are ready to serve dinner. (The rice will remain hot for a long time in a sealed pressure cooker.)

Serving Directions

Place 1/2 cup of rice on each plate; form a well in the center of the rice. Ladle 1/2 cup of the bean mixture in the well.

Ok. This is a stingy serving.... Go ahead and scoop more. Just pretty much eyeball things and divide things into 6 servings. You will want approximately 1/2 rice and 1/2 beans, maybe a more beans. Put a bottle of tabasco on the table and let people add more if they like.

Shopping directions

To limit fat and calories, buy "lean" or "extra-lean" ham. If they list the fat on the label, look for at least 90% lean ham; leaner is better. You can pick a smoked ham or any type of ham you prefer.
Fresher beans take less time to cook. Older beans take longer. Try to buy beans the week you are going to use them. (I have a tendency to buy beans and store them a long long time. That just means the beans might not be fully cooked when I open the pressure cooker.)
It's hard to find low fat andouille or kielbasa. Don't worry about it. Neither sausage is extremely fatty-- for a sausage anyway! There are plenty of non-fat calories to dilute the fat in the sausage.

Lucia