Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice

Glenn talks fondly of his years spent growing up in Slidell, Louisiana. Mostly it’s about the crazy things he did as a kid, but also he misses the red beans and rice served in the South. Apparently, Colorado don’t know nothing about red beans and rice. This is the only recipe that passes his taste test:

Louisiana-style Red Beans and Rice

• 1 lb. red kidney beans, dry (note: no need to pre-soak, just add them to the crockpot)
• 8 cups boiling water
• 1 large meaty ham bone
• 1 lb. hot sausage (fried & drained)
• 2 stalks chopped celery
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 tbsp garlic salt
• large pinch of dried thyme
• 4 bay leaves (removed before serving)
• salt, pepper & cayenne pepper to taste.

Layer in crock pot and cook at least 8-10 hours on high. The longer it cooks, the better it gets! About 45 minutes before serving, mash about 1/4 of the beans to help thicken. Serve over rice (optional). Could serve with crusty bread or cornbread…yum!

I said the rice is optional because I don’t eat the rice. I guess it’s just me. It’s so good you don’t need the rice!

The best things I ate this weekend:

Both salads are Atkins Diet (Phase 1) friendly; the red beans, not so much. So, 3 months of serious cardio and calorie counting and I only lost 5 pounds. Very frustrating. After careful evaluating of my food log it was clear: too many carbs and not enough protein is my problem. Hopefully, Atkins will get the scale moving in the right direction…