Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice

Based on a lot of experimentation, serves 4-6
Date made: 2/7/2011

1 lb red kidney beans, sorted*
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
Cajun brown rice*
Salt, pepper, Tony's, cumin, thyme, to taste
1 lb andouille sausage, sliced or chopped, optional

Place beans in a pot and cover with water.  Soak overnight.
Add more water to cover the beans and bring to a boil.
Boil for about 10 minutes and then transfer to crock for the slow cooker.
Add veggies and herbs/spices.  Cook on low heat for 10 hours.
Add sausage about 20 minutes before serving (while you're cooking your rice).
You know how to do the rest...


Before I got this new Crock-Pot for Christmas, I'd been using my mom's old slow cooker from, like, 20 years ago.  The first time I made red beans and rice in the Crock Pot it turned out disastrous since I cooked it on low and the beans didn't cook through AT ALL, even though they were there for 12 hours.  Mind you, I also consulted several slow cooker recipes online that made no indication that this might happen.

I thought the culprit was a defective low setting since I tried to make slow cooker corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day, which yielded similar results.  Thus, I've been making red beans and rice on the high setting to avoid further culinary embarrassment.  When I got this new Crock-Pot, I figured my low heat setting woes were a thing of the past, so I attempted to make chili a couple weeks ago over low heat.

This story is probably predictable, so I'm sure you can guess what happened -- crunchy chili.  Lo and behold, when I consulted my handy-dandy Crock-Pot manual (which I had the foresight not to throw out, though I guess there's always the internet), it explicitly states that you have to boil the beans beforehand, especially if you're adding any acid (aka tomatoes) since apparently it acts as a hardening agent.  Thank you, internet home cooks for not bringing this to my attention.

At least I got a sweet Crock-Pot out of it.  Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Bounty Rice

Adapted from Simply in Season, serves 6-8
Date made: 1/28/2011

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1/2 head of cabbage, shredded*
3 c cooked Cajun brown rice*
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 c sour cream
1 c mozzarella cheese

Saute ground turkey, onion, and green pepper in large skillet on medium heat until meat is browned and vegetables are soft.
Stir in tomatoes, cabbage, rice, and herbs and cover.  Cook until cabbage is crisp tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in sour cream and transfer into a grease 13x9 baking dish.  Bake at 325°F until the cabbage is tender, about 30-45 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese on top and let melt.

The acid is slightly overwhelming -- I might add more rice next time.  Not sure if it was really 3 cups since I kind of eyeballed it.  I eyeballed the cheese, too, so next time I think I'd add more cheese.  Still tasty and very hearty!