Creole Red Beans & Brown Rice

I'm finally writing up how I make this with brown rice so Sameer can cook it.  Liquid amounts and cooking times vary based on the instructions on my bag of brown rice.  My current bag calls for a 2:1 ratio of water to rice, cooked for 22-30 minutes.  Maybe it's parboiled because brown rice cooking time is usually longer than that.  Original recipe comes from "Vegetarian Times."

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  
• 2/3 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups pepper and onion mix, divided
• 1 15-oz. can tomatoes with medium green chiles, divided
• 1 1/2 cups cooked small red beans

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat, add 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and heat until shimmering. Add rice and 1 cup pepper/onion mix, and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are slightly softened. Add 1⁄3  cup tomatoes and their juices, plus 1 cup water; season with salt, if desired. Bring to boil, and stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. 
2. Heat remaining 1 tbs oil and 1/4 garlic powder in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup pepper/onion mix and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add remaining tomatoes with their juices, beans, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Cover, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Transfer 3/4 cup bean mixture to blender and purée until smooth. Return purée to pan and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with hot sauce.
   

Meal Planning

I'm almost out of some key ingredients for meal making, so I'll be grocery shopping in the next two days.  I need more mushrooms to finish off last week's meal plan, so there will be some carry over.  I'm also aiming to use up the spinach, tofu, and bell peppers currently in my fridge and the sourdough bread on my table.  Here is what I'm making:

 

Vegan Spinach Cheese Melts and veggie sides

 

French Onion Skillet Lasagna

 

Creole Red Beans & Rice

 

One Pot Peanut Sauce Noodles  

 

Jalapeno Popper Melts 

 

Breakfast Burrito with sausage and Fluffy Pancakes 

 

Tofu Provencal and Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf and Garlic Sauteed Spinach

 

 

Blueberry BROL Breakfast Bowl

 

 

This is my new go-to breakfast.  I cook the BROL in advance and keep it in the refrigerator ready to go.  One batch lasts almost a week.  Then in the morning I put one cup of BROL, 1 tbs of ground flaxseed, and half a cup of frozen wild blueberries in a bowl and stir them up and microwave them for 90 seconds.  Then cut up a banana on top for added sweetness.

Meal Planning

 Time for meal planning.  Here is what I'm making:

Hearty Veggie Hoagies

Partly just so I have picnic food to take on Sim's and my field trip Friday.

Spaghetti & Plant-Based Meatballs from Delish Loves Disney

[Finished product and pre-baking.  These are so good.  They are predominantly Beyond Beef and cremini mushrooms.]

 

Chilli-Garlic Noodles 

I made this last week, but I have half a batch of cabbage, carrots, and chilli-garlic paste to use up, so I might as well make it again.

 

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas with Red Chile Pesto and Red Cabbage Slaw
and Mexican Street Corn Salad

 

Classic Vegan Fish Tacos and leftover veggie sides

[I loved these.  I can't get Sameer to try fish even when it's just vegan food masquerading as fish, but I loved these tacos and finished all the leftovers for lunch the next day.  Simran said she liked the Gardein fish fillets even better than the chik'n tenders.  This meal was also really quick and easy to make because I had made pico de gallo and red cabbage slaw the previous day to go with the tostadillas.]

 

Vegan Spicy Mushroom Pepper Tostadillas

 

Vegan Spinach Cheese Melts and veggie sides

 

French Onion Skillet Lasagna 

To use up any leftover spinach and mushrooms. 

 

Meal Planning

We've eaten pretty much everything from the last meal plan.  Tonight we're going to have Indian sandwiches and tomorrow we'll have Shakshuka made from sundry leftover veg and some red beans I'm going to cook in the InstantPot.  Here is what I'm going to make after that:

Hearty Veggie Hoagies

 

Creole Red Beans & Rice

 

Gochujang Noodle Stirfry

Because I love gochujang and this looks easy.  I might buy a green cabbage and shred it and throw a bunch of that in here to add more veg. 

 

Chilli-Garlic Noodles 

Because, if I buy a cabbage for the other noodles, I'll need to use it up on something else.

 

Pasta Salad 

 

Soup & Sandwich 

Possibly. Based on what leftovers we have.