Red Beans and Rice

This is a great go-to vegetarian recipe that tastes like comfort food but is actually very healthy. The original recipe came from a 2009 Cooking Light magazine. I made a few adjustments to suit my family. First, we have decided to curtail our use of canned goods because of concerns about BPA (Bisphenol-A) exposure. Instead of using canned diced tomato I used 3 medium fresh tomatoes which I diced myself (the result was great). I also used dried beans instead of canned. If you are also concerned about BPA but don't have the time to soak beans, Eden Organic now makes canned beans in BPA-free cans. Instead of meat, I used a vegetarian sausage that I love because it cooks up so well. If you can't find a spicy vegetarian sausage, you could easily use a chicken andouille sausage as it was originally written. Serve this over brown rice to make a complete meal. Many vegetarian and meat sausages have wheat and/or soy, so if you are following a specific diet or avoiding food allergens read ingredients carefully when selecting a product. Aidells sausage products (not vegetarian) have great allergy information on their website.