Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Z and I made a fantastic dinner together last night use only ingredients that we already had and it was super tasty. Z made the rice and I made the sauce. The amount of the sauce was enough for a hearty dinner and enough leftovers for a small dinner for the two of us.

Z's Rice

Rice (however much you want to cook)
turmeric
cajun seasoning
paprika
olive oil
cumin (there really wasn't cumin in ours last night but there would have been if I had found it sooner)

Z just added the spices to the water with the rice and cooked it the way he always does. After it was cooked, he added some olive oil to the rice and mixed it in. That did something amazing to the rice!

Red beans

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
16 ounces tomato sauce
garlic
bell pepper and onion mix (same stuff I use in the fajitas!)
spices

I used a small handful of the frozen bell pepper mix and ran some warm water over it so I could chop it into small pieces. I love, love, love garlic so I used about four enormous cloves. And then there are the spices.... It was totally an experiment. First, I sauteed the garlic in some olive oil with a few whole peppercorns. When the garlic was cooked slightly, I added the peppers and onions. After that had heated up a little I added the tomato sauce, spices, and kidney beans. The sauce simmered for almost a half hour. As far as the spices go, I used some of the same Cajun seasoning, lots of cumin, salt and black pepper, hot pepper sauce, and bay leaf. Even if there is already a lot of heat from chiles, don't forget the black pepper. For me, ground pepper feels like it wakes up my tongue. Careful with the whole peppercorns. When you bite into one, it's a burst of spiciness. I think it's great but may be a bit much for some folks. Enjoy!

P.S. We made this for the potluck lunch at Z's office and it was a huge hit! I know because I went to work with him to eat free food.