My mother also made a mean pot of red beans and rice. I love to have it on a cold winter's day. It's super easy to make, which is so nice, and a slow cooker recipe to boot! How hot it is depends on you. Since I have children, I omit the jalapenos and just sprinkle in hot sauce or Tabasco sauce to my preference. But if you like it super spicy, you can add both or if you like it mild, you can leave them both out.
The only thing I've adapted in her recipe to make it healthy is switching out the high fat but yummy sausage with equally as good low fat/light sausage.
2 cans of light red kidney beans
1 - 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 - 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 medium bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp thyme
6 Bay leaves
10 oz. of Light polish or kielbasa sausage
3-6 jalapeno peppers, optional
Tabasco sauce, optional
Salt & Pepper to taste
Lightly saute onion and peppers in non-stick spray to bring out flavors (approx. 5 minutes on med-med/high heat). Remove when onions are just started to turn translucent. In the crockpot, empty canned beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Stir in all spices. Add cooked peppers and onions. Add in diced sausage. Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours.
As for the rice, I cook 1 cup of dry brown rice on the stovetop around 30 - 40 minutes beforehand. That should give you approximately 3 cups of cooked rice.
Servings - either 6 large or 8 smaller
WW points:
- For 6 servings, its 5 points plus 2 points for 1/2 cup of rice (or 4 pts for 1 cup of rice) - total pts 7 to 9
- For 8 servings, its 4 points plus the points for rice.
Yes, you read that correctly. As a part of our farmers co-op, I got some turnips and hadn't ever eaten turnips, much less cooked them, but as a part of my commitment to a healthier lifestyle, I decided to try them. And, much to my surprise, they were really good! S and I pretty much devoured them. They were a little softer than I had wanted, but I read that if I parboil them for a little while, then they will turn out crispier.
We had them as aside with grilled chicken sandwiches and corn on the cob. So good!
I'm estimated servings as 2 since they cooked down quite a bit and WW points as 1.5 per serving.
4 turnip medium to large bulbs (?)
1 -2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tsp of salt
Preheat oven to 450. Peel the outside of of the turnip and then slice into matchstick pieces (like your basic french fries). Once sliced, place in a ziploc bag and add olive oil. Seal bag and toss to coat. Open bag up and add salt and chili powder. I also added a little garlic powder in as well. Place onto cooking sheet with rim and arrange in a single layer. Cook for 15 minutes and then flip. Cook for an additional 15 minutes. Watch for burning.
