Creole Red Beans and Rice

Two ways: crock pot or stove top.

Brown some smoked or andouille sausage in a heavy bottomed pot, add in diced onion and garlic (You can also use green peppers at this point) and brown. Today I added my spices in this step: a homemade version of

Emeril's Bayou Blast

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

and some Worchestershire sauce. After mixing in the spices, I added a bit of veggie stock to deglaze the pot, then added in the beans. You can presoak them overnight, but sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Cover the beans with stock/water, and bring to a boil. After a good 10 minute boil, turn them down and simmer them until supper time. A good 3-4 hours. Keep checking your water level, you want to keep the beans covered. When it's time to eat, take a spoon and mash up some of the beans in the pot; this will give you a nice creamy texture.

Crock pot:

Presoak beans overnight. Put diced onions, garlic, browned sausage, soaked beans, bay leaf, salt pepper, whatever spices you want. You can also use ham hocks or salt pork in your beans if you don't want sausage. Cover the beans with stock/water, cook on low for 9-10 hours. Mash up some of the beans to thicken.

That's how I do it!