New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

A couple of months I came across THIS recipe, and after some adjustment to the portions (portions below serve 3-4 people instead of 6) and ingredients (original recipe contains pancetta and real sausage) I decided to surprise Sean with it. He is usually the chef of the household so I decided it was my turn to treat him to a home-cooked lunch.  After watching him get up for seconds (and thirds) I made sure to add this one to our "must cook/bake again" book.  It takes quite a bit to make but I personally think it was absolutely worth it.

Ingredients:

1 can of red kidney beans (if using dried beans refer to original recipe tagged above)
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 green pepper, deseeded and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded and diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne 
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoons fresh thyme, roughly chopped
1/2 pound Tofurky Italian Sausage cut into 1-inch pieces
about 5 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 cups cooked white rice
chopped green onions, garnish

Instructions:

1.  In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the onions, celery, and
   bell peppers until vegetables are very well done, about 8 minutes.
2. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne stir to combine.
3. Stir in the garlic, parsley, thyme. Increase heat to medium-high and cook
   until the sausage is well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
4. Add the softened beans to the pot, the stock, and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low and
   allow to simmer for about 1 1/2 hours 2, uncovered, until the beans are well softened.
5. Taste and season with more salt or pepper.
6. For a slightly smoother consistency, blend about 1/3 of bean and sausage mixture in a
   blender or food processor and return to the pot. This way, some of the beans will be
   ground smooth and some will be kept whole, creating a really lovely consistency. 

Enjoy!

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Whole Wheat Carrot Scones

    For these last couple of days I've been having a serious craving for scones. I have only made pumpkin ones in the past, and though absolutely delicious, I was looking for something different and a bit healthier. After some thorough "research" I decided to give Texanerin Baking's recipe for carrot scones a try.  I loved the fact that she used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, barely any sugar, and the glaze contains no confectioners sugar.  This scone recipe also has the ability to be dairy-free as well. Simply any of the milk substitute listed and replace the cream cheese in the glaze by sprinkling unrefined sugar on top of the scones before baking.  I completely recommend giving this recipe a try. It is try phenomenal.

Ingredients 

(scones)

- 1 1/3 cups of whole wheat flour

- 1/2 cup grated carrots

- 1/4 cup coconut sugar or unrefined sugar

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp ginger

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- 6 tbsp coconut oil 

- 1-6 tbsp milk (feel free to use almond, coconut, or soy milk)

(cream cheese glaze)

- 2 oz cream cheese

- 4 tsp maple syrup

- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

- dash of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 400°F (205°C) and line baking sheet with Silpat or a sheet of parchment paper.
2. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and the spices. 
3. Cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Stir in the grated carrots and then, tablespoon by tablespoon, mix the milk. 
(According to Erin, sometimes she just needs three tablespoons, but some days she needs six. Apparently it might depend on the kind of flour 
you use. Just make sure you don't over mix or add too much milk! You want to add just enough milk so that the dough stays together)
5. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and form a circle about ¾" thick and then cut 8 triangles.
6. Bake until slightly brown around the edges, about 12-5 minutes. They should be firm and feel slightly 
hard when you press the top of the scone. 
7. Prepare glaze by mixing all ingredients together (the original recipe called it "frosting" but because I warmed up my 
cream cheese prior to mixing its consistency was that of a glaze. I loved it!)
8. After removing the scones from the oven let them cool for 15-30 minutes. 
9. Glaze and serve right away! (any leftovers with glaze on them store in the refrigerator. The unglazed ones should be left at room temperature)

Enjoy!