Red Bean and Sausage Soup

Returning to my cajun-food-lovin' roots once again, I made this using red fagioli borlotti beans that I cooked overnight in my crock pot...the easiest way I know to cook dried beans. It's basically an Emerill Lagasse recipe, but I like adding a little chicken in for some additional flavor. And of course, parmesan...Emerill doesn't call for parmesan! It was a very easy lunch to throw together, and it really hit the spot. Fresh bread and Clementini made it a great lunch. Adjust the cayenne pepper to how spicy you want it.


Italian sausage, sliced
1/2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves, garlic minced
3 c. fagioli barlotti, cooked
3 c. chicken broth, homemade or boullion
parmesan for topping (optional)
chopped green onions for garnish (optional)


In a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat, cook the sausage until browned. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, add the oil, onions, celery, bell peppers, bay leaf, salt, and cayenne and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for additional 30 seconds. Add the red beans and their juices, cooked sausage, and 3 cups of the chicken stock, stir well to mix, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and reduced slightly, about 30 minutes, adding more stock as needed if the mixture gets too thick.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Okay, granted the combo sounds a little strange, but we love this black bean recipe. You would never guess that there's pumpkin in it, but it really gives a great, deep flavor. I start with dried black beans which I actually find here. I cook them in the crockpot the day before...just cover them twice their depth with water and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Then the next day, I made the chili in the crock pot as well or refrigerate the beans for later in the week.

1 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped yellow bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. olive oil
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. dried oregano
2 1/2 c. cooked and chopped turkey, chicken, or even sausage
2 c. cooked pumpkin (canned or fresh pumpkin puree listed in another post)
1 can tomato polpa
3 c. chicken broth
approx. 4 c. cooked black beans (2 cans or I prefer to use the entire amount of dried beans...drained and rinsed)

Saute onions, yellow pepper, and garlic till soft...about 8 minutes. Stir in oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute. Transfer to crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours. Great with bread and salad.

Red Beans and Rice

Okay, I can't get true Louisiana red beans, but this was a pretty good substitute. The whole family really enjoyed it. And served over whole grain brown rice, it made for a complete protein that was both inexpensive and very healthy. And a side of cornbread...yummy! This could also be made without a crock pot, just adjust to cooking beans the way you normally would on the stovetop, but make sure to soak them well overnight.

1 package dried fagioli borlotti beans
1 package pancetta
1 large onion, chopped finely
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 small bell pepper, chopped finely (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
about 1/2 a tube of tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 pound Italian sausage, removed from casings and fried (see note for substitute)

Soak beans overnight in water. Drain and pour beans in the crock pot. Cook pancetta and add to crockpot. Fry the sausage and add to crock pot. Add all other ingredients. Cover well with water or broth. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve over rice with a bottle of Tabasco within reach.

Note: Last time I made this I substituted some ground beef for the sausage. It definitely made it milder, and the kids loved it. Two days later I used the leftover beans (not much leftover, but...) and mixed it with some shredded cooked chicken and served it with homemade tortillas, lettuce, sour cream (plain yogurt) for some great burritos.

Daddy's Yee Haw Cowboy Dip Dinner

S created this when we had leftovers from lentil-rice casserole. Now that the kids are bigger, we no longer have leftovers so I make two casseroles so he and the kids can make this dip. They love it for a snack, but we've also used it for a light meal.

Lentil-rice casserole, cooked and chilled
Sour cream (or plain yogurt with the whey drained off)
salsa
salt and pepper to taste
tortilla chips

Mix all together, using amounts to your own liking. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips.

Lentil-Rice Casserole

A family favorite! Adapted from The Tightwad Gazette. Also see the recipe for "Daddy's Yee Haw Cowboy Dip Dinner."

3 c. chicken broth
3/4 c. dried lentils
1/2 c. brown rice
1 t. Italian seasoning (or 1/2 t. dried basil, 1/4 t. dried oregano, 1/4 t. dried thyme)
1/4 t. garlic powder (but, this can be optional)

Blend all together in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake covered for about an hour at 350 or until all the liquid is evaporated. I've discovered that the cook time can vary greatly depending on your oven and the altitude; currently, I bake mine for about 45 min.

Our favorite way to serve is as the burrito filling with flour tortillas, lettuce, salsa, sourcream (plain yogurt with the whey drained off), guacamole, etc. This isn't the prettiest filling, but it's really good, cheap, and healthy. But, if you want to serve it to guests and make it look more appetizing, scoop it out of the 9x13 and serve the filling in a pretty bowl along with all the toppings.

Alternate: Another way to serve leftovers is to serve is cold on a bed of lettuce with tomato wedges and a little salad dressing.