Vegetarian (Red) Beans and Rice - Slow Cooker Style

In my continued search for something easy and flavorful, I scoured through some recipes for red beans and rice, all of which used white rice and pork and/or sausage. My real reason for searching for this particular recipe was to use up the chick peas I had cooked. Finding nothing that really tripped my trigger, I conglomerated several recipes and added a few touches of my own. So, here it is:

Slow Cooker Vegetarian (Red) Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grain brown rice
• 2 cups dried beans (or substitute cooked beans, or a combination*)
• 1 red or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes, with its liquid (or substitute fresh)
• 1-2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning (or Creole Essence)
• 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups boiling water or vegetable broth**

Instructions:

• Place everything in a slow cooker and stir to combine.*
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir before serving.

* If you are using cooked beans, add these about 2 hours before serving, unless you want them mushy (some people do). They just need to be heated through.

** You may need to adjust the amount of liquid if you are using pre-cooked beans and/or rice.

Notes:

• Rice: Even after 8 hours, brown rice is still...chewy. If you don't like it this way, there are a few things you can do:
• Cook a little longer. However, the veggies may end up very mushy.
• Make the dish the day before and reheat it in the slow cooker. This will give the rice more time to absorb the liquid.
• Use pre-cooked rice and add it 2 hours before serving, as with cooked beans. You will also want to reduce the amount of liquid so it doesn't become soupy.
• Beans: Notice that I didn't say red beans in the ingredients. You may use whatever suits your fancy. I used 1/2 cup dried red beans (all I had left) and 4 1/2 cups cooked chick peas. I did not need to adjust the amount of liquid.
• Vegetables: The chop on the vegetables doesn't really matter. If you just want them for their flavor, chop finely or mince. If you want them to be a substantial part of the dish, use a rough chop. I like mine chunky.
• Seasonings: The seasonings listed here are for Louisiana-style red beans and rice. However, the dish is essentially just rice, beans and vegetables, so you may change things up as you wish. Use curry, turmeric, and chilies to make and Indian dish, or Asian seasonings for an Asian dish. You could also change up the vegetables.
• Liquid: If you are using pre-cooked beans and/or rice, adjust the amount of liquid accordingly. If you are not concerned about the vegetarian aspect of the dish, you can substitute chicken broth or beef broth. I'll post my recipes for both vegetable stock and chicken stock in a day or two.

Enjoy!