Red Bean Jambalaya

Red beans and rice, already a perfect combination as far as I'm concerned, really shines in this vegan rendition of "Red Bean Jambalaya" (page 252).    This Creole dish combines a tomato-based stew (a simmered mixture of tomatoes, onion, celery, bell pepper, chilis, garlic, and herbs) with red kidney beans and rice. Already tasty and delicious, this dish gets even better as it sits, so you will be happy to have leftovers (it makes a lot!). The recipe calls for one cup of uncooked long-grain rice, but I used just ½ cup so all the liquid from the stew wouldn't get absorbed into the rice. This yielded just the right amount of rice after it was cooked. The recipe doesn't specify white or brown rice, but if you chose to use brown rice, you might have better luck cooking it separately and adding to the jambalaya once it is done. Often I don't have satisfactory results when trying to cook brown rice in a pot with anything other than water (it doesn't always cook tender). If you find you still want this dish to be a bit soupier, add additional broth at the end of the cooking time.

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

• Omit the oil when sauteing the veggies: instead, use a nonstick soup pot and/or use broth, water, or sherry as a saute liquid.

• Use brown rice instead of white (possibly cooking ahead for better results.)