Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Oh man...I didn't even realize that my Chili Cheese Tortilla Wraps from last night was my 300th post!! How exciting!

So tonight we're having red beans and rice. It's kind of a heavy dish for a hot day like today, but I had andouille sausage in my freezer I wanted to use up, so we'll just deal. My mom got the sausage for me on Manager's Special at Sprouts Market. I love my mom, and I love Sprouts! I wish one would open near me. The recipe doesn't call for andouille, but I had it, and other than gumbo I didn't know what to make with it. It's way too hot for gumbo for sure. Andouille is pretty hard to find here in AZ for a reasonable price, so I heart my mom even more for finding some for us!

I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website a few years ago when doing a search for crockpot recipes. I've tried to do it vegetarian without the sausage, and it just isn't the same. It was okay, but it's definitely better with the flavor of the sausage in it. I don't know if I've made this since I've had my blog...seems like it's been quite awhile since we've had it.

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
3 cups water
1 cup dried red kidney beans
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 (14-ounce) package turkey, pork, and beef smoked sausage, thinly sliced (such as Healthy Choice)
1 bay leaf
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Combine first 12 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Cover with lid; cook on high heat for 5 hours. Discard bay leaf; stir in salt. Serve over rice; sprinkle servings evenly with green onions.

*****

First, I think it's funny that it says "electric slow cooker." Personally I've never seen anything BUT an electric slow cooker. Do they have gas powered ones? Propane slow cookers? Hand crank slow cookers? Second, like I said above I'm using andouille sausage instead of the healthy options listed in the recipe. I normally use some kind of turkey sausage in it to be more health-conscious. I sliced up my andouille and then cooked it for awhile in a skillet to brown it and get rid of some of the fat. Once it was browned and cooked I tossed it in with everything else.

God only knows when we'll end up eating dinner tonight. The boy switched from his crib to a big boy bed over the weekend, and I'm having one heck of a time getting him to nap now. I had hoped to get everything in the crockpot by 1:30, but it was after 2:30 when I was done because I had to keep coming upstairs to deal with him. I'd better go make the most of naptime since I have no idea how long he'll sleep. He used to nap 3 to 3.5 hours every day...yesterday it was slightly more than 90 minutes. :(