Red Beans and Rice: Cheating Style

2 cans of Glory Seasoned Red Beans
2 cans of cheap store brand red or dark red kidney beans
2 strips of bacon (real is best, turkey of faux will do)
a 1/4 of an onion, 1/4 of a green pepper, and some celery
4 or 5 chicken or turkey sausages-- andouille flavor is best
brown rice

Fry up that bacon alongside the sliced sausage (generally the sausage is precooked, but heating it in bacon fat is never a bad idea.) Take out the meat, leave in the fat. Throw in the finely chopped vegetables (the proportion should be roughly even amounts of each-- I chop them in the mini food processor.) Saute them up. When they are fairly well cooked, add in one can of seasoned beans, and then drain and add the second can. Drain and add the cheap beans. Take the last can of beans and drain it and then mush them up in the food processor, add that to the pan. Throw the sausage back in, and crumble the bacon in, too. Salt, pepper, add zatarain's or similar to taste. Oh, and tabasco, too. Cover, and cook on low to med low stirring once in awhile til heated through. I like to add my cooked brown rice to the pan and serve it all like that but you can just top the rice with the beans.

It is not authentic, but it is ready in 20 minutes rather than 20 hours. If I don't put much zatarains or Tabasco in, then my DD5 will eat this, too.

OH-- even with the bacon in there, this is not too terrible wrt fat content. I think, depending on exact proportions of ingredients, a serving can come in at around 5-8 WW points, which is a touch high for a small female but not much for a man.

Easiest pizzas ever

3 Pitas
1 cup spaghetti sauce (or diced tomatoes)
2 Boca Italian sausages
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the sausages according to the microwave directions. Grease aluminum foil on a baking sheet and place three pitas on top. Evenly spread on spaghetti sauce then slice up sausages and spread them on. Follow with the cheese. Bake for ten minutes or until cheese is melted and enjoy.

Laura, we cheat on red beans and rice, too. The brand we use is Blue Runner, and it's already seasoned. I just add whatever sausage we have on hand, usually Italian. It's cheap, quick, and delish.

Another yummy bean and sausage recipe is a can or two of Ranch Style beans with sausage added and about half a bottle of beer. I let it simmer about 20 minutes. We just throw some raw onion on top and eat it with lots of corn bread. Sometimes I add some cumin or chili powder if I remember.

mamawho-- THANKS for the tip on the Blue Runner beans-- always looking to try something new. Also a great idea re: the ranch-style beans! I'm 17 weeks pregnant and craving beans and rice all the time...

meghan: good pizza plan, too.