Red Beans and Rice

Hi there!

I have to make this quick because the next episode of Gossip Girl isn’t going to watch itself

Just kidding…in reality I have about 1,000 things to do and the evening is closing in on us.

This Monday sure flew by for me…I hope it did for you as well.

After a usual oat mess of a breakfast (today with blueberries), I took the dog for a walk then headed into work early for an easy run.  My legs were a little sore from yesterday’s run, so I wanted to loosen up a little before sitting at my desk.  I covered a little over 2 miles, which was perfect.

I stretched for a minute, then hopped onto my computer for a few hours to knock out some work.  Around noon I headed down to our cycle studio to teach class.  Today we were in and out of the saddle a lot.  I planned jumps + standing climb to seated sprints+hips steady+ hovers.  It was a good one!

After cleaning up, I ate a bite of lunch.  Today was sort of a mish-mosh, but included my current obsession:  baby bell peppers.

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I got some more work done and looked outside and it was snowing!  I kid you not, this morning when we walked it was in the upper 40s and sunny.  That’s Colorado weather for ya   It was a super heavy, wet snow and looked absolutely gorgeous, until I was in it!

I left in what I thought was plenty of time to get to my favorite CorePower class, but low and behold, I got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for like an hour.  When I finally realized I wouldn’t make it to class, I turned around to try to hit the later class and missed that one too.  I was super annoyed…until I talked with Colin and he was on his way home from work.  He invited me on a snowy trek with Zoey and of course I immediately cheered up.  We headed out in our boots and coats on about a 30-ish minute walk and it was really fun.

For dinner tonight, I simply finished up a few things I started yesterday and it made for a super easy meal.

Cajun Red Beans and Rice
·1 lb. dried red beans, soaked overnight
·1 tbsp. olive oil
·1 large onion, chopped
·3 bell peppers (any color), chopped
·2 large stalks of celery, chopped
·3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
·6 cloves garlic, minced
·2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
·1 tsp. cayenne pepper (for HOT…1/4-1/2 for medium)
·1 tsp. dried oregano
·1 tsp. dried cilantro
·1 tsp. salt
·2 bay leaves
·4 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
·2 cups water
For serving:
·cooked brown basmati rice
·shredded romaine lettuce
·green onions
·hot sauce

In a large stock pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, peppers, and celery and saute for 7-10 minutes or until soft.  Add cayenne, oregano, and cilantro and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add chipotle peppers, beans, salt, bay leaves, stock, and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook on low, uncovered for about 90-minutes (you could also put this in a crock pot and set on low for 4-6 hours).  Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.  Let cook until beans reach desired consistency and softness.  Serve with toppings of choice.

Warning:  this makes a TON (it’s delicious, though, so I don’t think you’ll mind!).   Seriously, this was so good.  I think it would please vegetarians and omnivores alike!  Colin loved it.

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Okay, I’m signing off!  I hope you have a great evening.

*TIP TIME*
Use dried beans instead of canned to save money.  Simply soak them overnight (or for a few nights) and plan to cook for quite a while or use in the crock pot.  You can also boil a big batch until tender, drain and let cool, and use just as you would canned beans!