Red Beans and Rice

I've been wanting to try out making red beans and rice for a while now. My Dad used to give us a boxed version of this, and it was SO GOOD! Well, of course I didn't think it was delicious the first few times I tried it, right, Dad? I think I mastered this, without nearly as much salt as the boxed version contains. This recipe makes a lot!

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry red kidney beans, soaked overnight

4 c. vegetable broth

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 green pepper, diced very finely

2 small white onions, chopped

1 tbsp. liquid smoke

1 tbsp. Bragg's liquid amino acids

2 tsp. parsley

2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning

1 tsp. salt

Instructions:

- Toss all ingredients into crockpot, give a good stir, and let cook on low for 24 hours.

...wait, what? 24 hours? You see, I originally planned on this cooking for only 8 hours. Right in the middle of this delicious dish being cooked in the crock pot, San Diego's power went out. I immediately thought of the red beans and rice (after wondering if Michael had left work safely or not, of course). I wasn't sure if I should quickly open up the refrigerator and put the contents of the crock pot inside, compromising everything else in there. I ultimately decided to unplug it and just let it keep cooking with it's lid on. I decided that if the power was out for TOO long that I would decide what to do with the food then. Instead of eating this for dinner that night, Michael and I rushed to the North Park farmers market to grab some dinner and head home for a night of reading and Scrabble...

I was able to plug the crock pot back in the next day and let it continue cooking. Once it's done cooking, serve over cooked rice (I chose long grain brown rice). The end result turned out perfectly.