I've been doing a lot of thinking about our next vacation, and while it's not happening this year, I have been dying to get to New Orleans for as long as I can remember. I'm a food driven gal, and though I'm sure the historical attractions and nightlife are what attract many of the tourists, I just want to go and eat all the beignets and gumbo. We ate at Cafe Orleans when we were at Disneyland in Cali 2 years ago and loved it so much, but I imagine eating real NOLA food in the heart of the city can't be beat. Mardi Gras is right around the corner, and even though I won't be there for the festivals, I can try to grab a taste of it with some NOLA inspired dishes. I have a vegetarian jambalaya recipe I like to make a few times a month, but I recently came across this Creole Style Beans that would make a great addition to any Mardi Gras menu you may be planning.
This recipe is great as a side dish or rolled up into a tortilla, but you could even split it into 4 bowls and serve it as a whole meal. It's a lot like chili, but I think it has more of a spicy kick to it over traditional chili. That extra hit of spice is what makes it more of a Creole dish than a chili one. This is a vegetarian recipe, but if you want to be more authentic, you could add in some browned ground beef, sausage, or even cooked shrimp into the mix for an even heartier meal.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil1 medium onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 tablespoon coffee, brewed
3 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE
If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!
Have you ever been to NOLA? If so, what's your favorite restaurant or recipe from there?
Lovely colour combo, dear, what does coffee do to the dish?
ReplyDeleteIt enhances all of the other flavors. I thought it was so weird that my mil always added coffee to her chili, but after reading up on it, it's quite common. Chocolate does that too, I hear.
Deleteewww on the chocolate in beans. I did hear that some people like to put herbal teas in beans which does sound logical in a way.
DeleteYeah, I'd pass on the chocolate as well. Herbal tea might be good. Helps boost up the nutritional value even more, I would assume.
DeleteI heard some food isn't what it is cracked up to be there, so maybe using inspired dishes is better, and cheaper. Not knowing where you are going to travel, geez, better get on that.
ReplyDeleteI know where we're going and sadly it's not New Orleans. We're doing Cuba, Honduras and Mexico. I'll have to do some lengthy studying on where to eat before we hit up NOLA if that's the case. I'd hate to go there and eat subpar food!
DeleteYum! I can eat beans daily. They are one of my favorite side dishes.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both! Love all of their health benefits and they taste good too!
DeleteLooks nice
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
DeleteIf I'm brewing coffee to get that tablespoon, I guess I would just have to drink the rest in a cup. Wouldn't want the coffee to go to waste (NOLA has great coffee, btw). :) Honestly, I'm not a fan of New Orleans, though I know most people love it. It did get under my skin though, and I wanted to devour information about it when I got home. It's like no other place I've seen. This dish though? Oh yes, I am a FAN! I'm trying it, sans the meat for me, and with the meat for the big guys/gal around here. Though I don't know if my daughter will dig it this month (4 weeks to go!). Here to see your Friday recipe and wish you a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteYour review of NOLA did disappoint me since you did not have the best experience there. Kind of took it down a notch on the bucket list as you know I value your travel advice. I imagine that when we do go, I'll come back about 20 pounds heavier. I just want to eat my way through the whole city.
DeleteI'm honestly trying to stick away from beans but this would be nice if guests are coming to visit.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great side dish for cookouts, so maybe give it a try this summer :)
DeleteBeans are one of my favorites.And all varieties.Would surely try to make this colorful dish.
ReplyDeleteIt would be fun to switch up the beans for more flavor variety!
Deletethese look absolutely divine! im going vegetarian so i'm trying to spice up my bean dishes and this seems like the perfect shake up to my routine. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
DeleteI've been looking for a new dish to try in sprit of Mardi Gras! I'll have to give this creole dish a try!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you could grab some inspiration for Mardi Gras with this post. I hope you enjoy :)
DeleteThere's nothing like genuine honey! Once you taste it, you can never have the fake stuff again... the taste is so different.
ReplyDeleteFor sure!
DeleteThis looks delicious, Theresa. My husband and I are using the food guidelines for the Mediterranean and DASH diets to eat healthier meals. Beans are featured in both, so I'm always on the lookout for good bean recipes. I'll be giving these a try! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've been doing the Mediterranean diet guidelines as well and love how beans are an essential part of the diet. I hope if you make this, you enjoy it as much as we did!
DeleteI would have this rolled up in a tortilla. Since I am the only one in my family that loves beans, I am going to have this delicious dish all to myself. Yay!
ReplyDeleteI haven't done them rolled in a tortilla myself yet, but I'm definitely going to be doing that the next round. But sadly I do have to share with my bean eating family lol
DeleteWorthy of Mardi Gras beans title you say? I am going to try your recipe out as it looks and sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteCreole style beans! Must be wonderful..has been a big fan of Creole! Love the rich spices used on it
ReplyDeleteHi, Theresa! I made the Creole Style Beans as a main dish for dinner tonight. They were delicious! I wasn't sure about the coffee ~ Was that 1 Tbsp. of coffee brewed to drink? I just tossed in 1/2 tsp. of instant coffee and crossed my fingers. I'm going to have the leftover beans for dinner tomorrow night and add some leftover pancetta to see how that tastes. Terry loved the beans too.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's one tbsp brewed coffee, but to be honest, I didn't brew any for my pot. I had some iced coffee in my fridge that I used and it seemed to do the trick. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. I think leftover mixed with pancetta sounds delightful. I'm going to have to try that! Thanks for the suggestion :)
DeleteYum!! I’m always eating beans so I love these ideas!
ReplyDeleteThe recipe sure does look great! I haven't been there before.
ReplyDelete