Crockpot Red Beans and Rice

By: Co+op, welcome to the table

Recipe Information
Total Time: 7 hours,15 minutes; 15 minutes active
Servings: 4-6

Laissez les bons temps rouler! Mardi Gras is just around the corner, so you couldn’t ask for a better time to brush up on your cajun-style cuisine. In the mood to get creative? Swap collard greens in this recipe for organic chard - on sale right now at your Co-op for just $1.99 per bunch.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried kidney beans

• 1/2 cup long grain brown rice

• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 large carrot, chopped

• 1 bunch collard greens, chopped

• 5 cups water

• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Heat a pot of water to boiling, add kidney beans and boil beans for ten minutes. Drain beans.

2. Combine 5 cups water, drained kidney beans, brown rice, bell pepper, carrot and Cajun seasoning in a slow cooker. Cover and set on low, and cook for 6 hours.

3. Open the cooker, add the salt and collard greens, and stir. Cover and cook for another hour.

4. When the beans are tender, serve or transfer to containers to refrigerate or freeze.

Serving Suggestion

Serve as a side dish to roasted chicken, or feature it as an entrée with a slice of cornbread.

Cornmeal Biscuits with Red-Eye Gravy

By: Robin Asbell

Recipe Information

Total Time: 60 minutes

Servings: 6

Fall is just around the corner! Let us help you get ready for crisp autumn air and crunchy leaves with this delicious hot breakfast you can make any time. Traditional red-eye gravy is made by pouring coffee into the fat left behind after frying a ham steak in the pan. Since the Beeler’s quarter hams on sale in the Co-op Meat Department are relatively lean and trimmed, we recommend using a bit of butter to get the fat for the pan, and thicken with some flour for a simple roux. If you love coffee black, make yours with all coffee, but if that sounds a little too intense to you, use half milk.

Ingredients

Biscuits

• 2 teaspoons yeast

• 2 tablespoons lukewarm water

• 2 cups unbleached flour

• 1/2 cup cornmeal

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 stick butter, chilled

• 3/4 cup buttermilk

• Extra flour

Ham and Gravy

• 3 5-ounce ham steaks

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 1 tablespoon unbleached flour

• 1 cup brewed coffee, or half milk/half coffee

• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl or cup, stir the yeast and lukewarm water and let stand until it bubbles. In a large bowl, whisk the unbleached flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda and salt. Coarsely grate in the cold butter and toss to coat. Pour in the buttermilk and the yeast mixture and stir to mix. Sprinkle flour on the countertop and scrape the dough onto the counter. Pat out to a rectangle about an inch thick. Cut in squares about 3 1/2 inches wide (or the shape and size you prefer) and transfer to the baking sheet. Let stand for 20 minutes to rise.

2. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

3. While the biscuits bake, melt the second measure of butter in a large cast iron or other skillet. Fry the ham slices in butter until browned, transfer to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm. To the pan, add the onions and sauté over medium high heat until softened and clear, about five minutes.

4. Sprinkle the second measure of flour over the onions and stir, cooking for a minute to toast the flour. Stir in the coffee or coffee and milk, gradually, and bring to a boil until thickened to a gravy consistency.

5. Serve biscuits split, each half topped with a ham steak and gravy and sprinkled with chives.