Vegan Red Beans and Rice.

When I saw these on FatFreeVegan I knew I had to try them ASAP. Healthy. Crockpot.Beans. A total winner for my family. And they were. I'm still working on the perfect amount of seasoning since we like stuff with lots of flavor. But these are totally rotationable. And I'll try her Real Louisiana Red Beans and Rice next too.

2 cups dry red beans
6 cups water
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning (or use below)
A few drops liquid smoke or smoked salt
Tabasco, optional (to taste or serve on the side)
salt, to taste
cooked brown rice for serving
optional: cooked vegan sausage links or grilled tofu

The night before: In your slow cooker add the dried beans, water, garlic, and bay leaves. Cook on low overnight. (If your 1 1/2 quart slow cooker does not have a low/high setting then it should run on low.)

In the morning: Add the Cajun seasoning, liquid smoke, and Tabasco if using and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water depending on how long you will be gone for the day or if they just look to dry to cook all day. You can cook these a very long time if you just add extra water, so they are good for days you know you are coming home late.

Before serving: Taste and adjust seasonings and add hot sauce, and add salt if needed.

Serve over brown rice with vegan sausage or grilled tofu if desired. A side salad helps balance out the meal.

Simple Cajun Seasoning from allrecipes

3 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Combine the oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a plastic bag and shake to mix.

Rollover Jerk Lentils with Roasted Peppers and Pineapples.

A Rachael Ray favorite that I veganized by taking the chicken out and putting in lentils. Yum! I didn't have any pineapples so I roasted to oranges. Um, double yum! Totally concentrated their flavor.

1 red onions, roughly chopped and divided
4 cloves garlic
4 scallions
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño or serrano peppers, seeded
1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I omit)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, some for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 yellow bell pepper
2 red bell peppers
1 green bell pepper
1 cup dried lentils
2 cups water or vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place half the red onion, the garlic, scallions, lime juice, jalapeño pepper, red wine vinegar, orange juice, paprika, cumin, allspice, cinnamon and thyme in a food processor and pulse to combine. While running, stream in the EVOO to form a thick paste.

Rinse lentils and add lentils and water to a pot. Boil, turn down the heat to a simmer and add 1/2 of the jerk paste. Let simmer 20-25 minutes until lentils are tender.

Place the pineapple, bell peppers and red onion on a baking tray. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle them with some EVOO. Place tray in the oven 30 minutes.

Serve over a bed of brown rice, lentils and veggies and pineapple on top. Or, just eat the mixture without the brown rice.

Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic and Navy Beans

I love me some roasted garlic... and all throughout a soup - yum! This was awesome soup, amazingly healthy... the only downfall was we were eating hot soup in 97* weather. I followed the recipe, but added some kale at the end. And it called for a can of navy beans, but I added the leftovers from the Rustic White Beans and Mushrooms. Perfect. It made a ton of soup, so I froze half of it for a later don't-feel-like-cooking day.

2 bulbs garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, diced as small as possible

1 cup long-grain brown rice (I actually love the short-grain brown rice from the bulk bins at Sprouts, I always have that on-hand, so I use that)

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

2 teaspoons salt

several pinches of freshly ground black pepper

2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups)

PREHEAT the oven to 425*F. Roast the garlic for about 45 minutes, until soft. You should be able to feel if it's soft by pressing with a knife or your finger.

Preheat a soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes, until translucent.

Add the rice, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, then fill up the can with water twice and add the water (that's 56 ounces of water).

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Remove the garlic from the oven. When it is cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin and into a small bowl. Use a for to mash the garlic to a relatively smooth consistency, then add to the soup once the rice is nearly tender.

When the rice is completely cooked, add the beans and heat through. Then it's ready to serve - just remove the bay leaves beforehand.

BELLY BITERS:

shayne {yum} jen {yum!} ava {eh.} nolan {"it's gooood!"} corynn {tore.it.up!}

Veganomicon, pg 137

serves 10 to 12

time: 45 minutes

Spiced Lentil Tacos.

from Lugubrious Delights

These are a family favorite... and we eat them like every other week. The leftovers are awesome too. A great meal to feed to your meat eating buddies... they usually like it and don't ask lame questions like, "Where's the meat?" or "Is this it?".

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 pkg taco seasoning or make your own
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce finely chopped (can be omitted if you don't want it too spicy)
tortillas, warmed

The fixings...
corn
shredded lettuce or cabbage
diced tomatoes
sliced avocado or guacamole
salsa
cilantro
vegan ranch

Warm about 1 tablspoon of water in a large skillet or sauce pan (or enough water to form a thin layer on the bottom). Let that warm up then add onion and garlic and cook until onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are frgrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add broth and chipotle chilies; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tneder, 25 to 30 minutes.

OR, better yet... throw it all into your crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Serve with lettuce (or cabbage), tomatoes, avocado, corn, cilantro, lime wedges, olives, rice, black beans, salsa, vegan ranch --whatever fixings you like on your tacos. Or make into a taco salad and crunch up some tortilla chips.

a great side: Tex-Mex Fried Rice

love this stuff! i added some black beans to it this time. love the hominy

Tex-Mex Fried Rice.

I love this rachael ray side! It's so good with anything mexican food related. To use as a side or to put in burritos. Love the hominy! When I make it I usually cook the rice sometime during the day or use any leftovers.

extra virgin olive oil

1 14-ounce can hominy or 2 ears of corn, kernels removed

1 small red onion, chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

2 cups cooked short grain brown rice

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 to 3 small tomatoes, seeded and diced

A few dashes hot sauce (more if you like it spicy!)

Salt and ground black pepper

Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of oil, about a tablespoon. Add the hominy, onion, jalapeño and garlic to the pan, and cook until the veggies are golden brown, 5-6 minutes.

Add the rice to the pan and continue cooking until the rice is light golden and crispy, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro, tomatoes and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper.