I somehow switched to savory mode recently.
You know how a few weeks ago I mentioned that I was stuck with mostly sweet inspirations and that I couldn’t come up with anything creative in the non-sweet department? Well, I’m not sure what happened, but now it switched around and I’m having the opposite problem. I’m sure it will resolve itself once I start on all of the autumn and holiday yummies that I know I’ll be making, but as of right now I am in a savory rut.
It’s probably because I’m at that time of year where the seasons are changing and right now I’m trying to cash in on the end of the summer season for the northern hemisphere (because that’s where most of my readers are) since it’s finally warming up here. It’s confusing but it makes since in my mixed up brain.
So I may not live in the States anymore but I’m not a total cave woman (yet), I still hear about major world events and stuff. The recent hit in the markets has got a lot of us thinking about beans and rice, am I right? I’m pretty sure that basically every culture has some form or other of this staple meal because, let’s face it, it’s cheap. Poor man’s food.
I don’t know about you but I happen to love beans and rice. When I was little my dad used to make the Zatarain’s Cajun box mixes all the time so those flavors are really nostalgic and warm fuzzy for me and now it’s probably my favorite way to eat beans and rice.
The way I see it, if you can master the art of making beans and rice taste amazing with minimal ingredients then your pretty much set for life in the cooking department. I know I added the chorizo to mine, because the truth is that it adds so much more flavor that way, but you could totally go meatless with this recipe and it would still be amazing. It’s all in the spices here.
This is a great meal to make for a big group or just a budget friendly weeknight dinner that makes great leftovers. In fact it gets better leftover. Make a big huge pot of it and freeze the extra for later or invite some friends over and show off your mad skills with making simple ingredients into a from-scratch meal with unrivaled flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, finely minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 small green and 1 small red bell pepper,(seeds and stem removed) diced
- 3 large stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch radishes, finely chopped with stems removed
- 1 pound Chorizo sausage, cut into slices
- 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
- 2 cups chicken or beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (recipe follows)
- salt & pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/4 teaspoons dried basil
- 4 bay leaves
Instructions
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a small pot and add brown rice. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, checking every 5, until most of the water is absorbed then remove from heat and set aside.
- While rice cooks, add butter to a large skillet with lid and place over medium high heat. Add garlic, jalapeño, onion, bell peppers, celery, and radishes to pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until celery and radishes are softened. Scoot veggies to the sides of pan and add Chorizo. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Reduce heat to medium low and add stock, brown rice, black beans, and Cajun seasoning to pan and cover. Stir occasionally and cook covered for 20 to 25 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
- If making the Cajun seasoning, blend all ingredients together in blender or food processor until loose and powdery.
Notes
You can replace the Chorizo in this recipe with Andouille sausage or any preferred sausage.
This looks delicious. And I love that it is made with brown rice. I’ve been looking for a good dirty rice recipe for a while now. Thank you.
I’m so glad you found this then! I hope you enjoy, Esther!
This looks delicious! I love black beans 🙂
Thank you Medha!
i just made this for our dinner. Deeeelicious!!!
Thank you so much, Esther! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this. Isn’t it such a great bang for your buck type of meal? That’s one of the best parts in my opinion.
It certainly is. And it’s so easy to make. I’m in the process of making it again for dinner tonight 🙂
I’m so glad you are enjoying this recipe!