Southern-ish Rice and Red Beans

Hi there!!

Happy New Year! Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve posted a new original recipe. I filmed and updated a recipe I had initially posted in April 2021, one of my favorites: Coconut Ginger Chickpea Curry.

Now, let’s get back to our regular schedule; today’s recipe is Southern(-ish) Rice and Beans.

I’m lucky enough to be able to cross one more item off my bucket list: I’ll (finally) travel to New Orleans (aka NOLA) this Fall. As a Foodie, there’s no way I could talk about Foodie destinations without mentioning the capital of Creole and Cajun cuisine.

Gumbo, Jambalaya, Rice and Beans, Etouffée, just to name a few… I truly can’t wait and, of course, I’ll report back and share my foodie adventures here!

Cajun vs Creole

According to LouisanaTravel, the main difference between Creole and Cajun cuisine is: Creoles use tomatoes and Cajuns food don’t.

While the terms Cajun and Creole are often used interchangeably, they shouldn’t: they’re two separate cultures.

The Cajuns were the French colonists who settled in the 1700s, whereas the Creoles were the descendants of the French and Spanish upper class, and later, the term also included the descendants of African slaves. 

Now, back to the food:

• Cajuns are also heavy on all-things-pork (bacon, liver, ribs and sausages…), use the famous spice blend known as Cajun seasoning and the Trinity, the basis of all recipes, made of onion, garlic and celery.
• Creoles are more bougie and diverse: you’ll find tomatoes, okra, butter and lots of seafood. 

Rice and Beans around the world

A staple combo around the globe, many countries have their own “rice and beans” recipe and that for a very simple reason: it’s cheap, tasty, easy and accessible.

A few examples…

• Jamaica: probably one of the most famous rice and beans combo, the famous Rice and Peas. Red beans, coconut milk, green onion, pimento and thyme.
• Dominican Republic: Moro de Habichuelas. Red or pinto beans, bell peppers, garlic, cilantro, tomato, sazon and adobo.
• Brazil: we can’t forget one of the national dishes, the Fejoada. Black beans, pork bacon, pork sausages, onion, garlictomato, bay leaf
• Congo DRC: Loso na Madesu. Red beans, garlic, onion, tomato, bay leaf and you’re set to go.

“Southern-ish“

This recipe has all the ingredients of the traditional Southern Rice and Beans: onion, garlic, green pepper, celery, thyme, bay leaf, sausage, Cajun seasoning and, of course, red beans.

So why the “southern-ish”? Well, first, the traditional recipe calls for Andouille Sausage, which isn’t particularly easy to find here in Belgium, so I used regular smoked sausage instead.

Tradition also means using smoked turkey, which I intentionally left out, as I wasn’t feeling like adding too much meat.

In order to offset the lack of turkey meat, I used ground dry crayfish… I know, you’re probably wondering “what the heck?”, but it did the trick: still smokey, still flavorful, less meaty. 

Well without further ado, here’s the recipes. Scroll down for video instructions.

Bon appetit!