I am posting this here because I was talking about the recipe on Facebook and they seem to have hidden their notes feature in a place where I can’t figure out how to write a new one. Darn Facebook. Anyway, here it is.
Creole Beans and Rice
From “New Recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant”
Serves 6
3 cups dried kidney beans (I use 4 cans black beans, rinsed and drained)
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp ground allspice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups chopped onions
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 medium celery stalks, diced
1 cup diced carrots
2 to 3 green peppers, chopped (I use red usually)
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
salsa
sour cream
Cook the beans with 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice. (I skip this step, I used to simmer the beans with the spices for a while but I’m not convinced that made a difference.)
Sauté the onions and garlic in oil on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook several minutes longer. Stir occasionally. Add the green pepper and sauté until all the vegetables are just tender. Whisk together the tomato past, red wine, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, herbs, and spices. Add this to the sautéed vegetables. In a large pot combine the drained beans and sautéed vegetable mixture and stir them until thoroughly mixed. (If using canned beans, I just add the extra cayenne and allspice in with the tomato paste mixture and add the canned beans at this point.) Simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Cook the rice. Serve beans with rice, topped with salsa and sour cream.
Changes I made for the slow cooker:
I increased the tomato paste to the whole can (which I often do anyway, just because half a can of tomato paste just goes bad in my fridge); used 1/2 cup of wine and 1/2 cup of water to increase the liquid.
I used less cayenne than it called for because I figured it would get too hot for me. This is clearly a matter of taste.
I sautéed the vegetables up to the point of adding the peppers and then I put that mixture into the slow cooker, mixed with half of tomato paste mixture. The other half of the tomato paste mixture was mixed with the beans, which I put on top of the vegetables in the cooker.
I cooked it all on low for 8 hours and it was delicious! Enjoy.
the sheep free knitter 
Next time you make this, could you upload a photo of the end result? 🙂
I make (plain) beans and rice as a staple, about once a week. This recipe is definitely more complicated, but I’m sure it’s also more complex in the tastebud-sense, too. 😀
I will try to remember. It doesn’t always photograph well.
It freezes well too, so I can make a pot of it and keep it in hand as a quick dinner later. As quick as heating up a can of beans! 🙂
I almost picked up this cookbook from the library on Wednesday (but opted for Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals instead; I probably could have picked up both, but I had trouble thinking logically with my kids running around and shouting). I’m excited that I can give one of their recipes a try even though I passed over the book! And this sounds like the kind of thing my kids just might eat! Question, though: do you put the rice in the slow cooker, or do you cook that separately?
And another option for using remaining tomato paste: I empty the rest of a can of tomato paste into a freezer bag, squish it flat, and freeze it. Then when a recipe calls 1 tsp of tomato paste or some ridiculous amount, I just break off a chunk. It’s not an exact measurement, but I don’t waste so much tomato paste. I think I got that idea from the blog Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen. I’m not sure, but I want to give someone credit.
A lot of the recipes are cheese heavy but this one just has the dairy added in the end.
I cook the rice separately in my rice cooker (which I love!).