New Orleans-esque Food for Fat Tuesday

Published: Fri, 02/21/20

Hi there, Slow Cookerers!!

Happy FRIDAY! I hope all is going well in your neck of the woods.

I started paying attention to the calendar a bit better yesterday because I was trying to figure out when Easter was this year.

(because we host, and I love it, and if you host and love it (or even if you DON'T love it! ;-) ) here are a bunch of amazing Easter recipes...)

ANYWAY ---- Easter isn't for a while. But FAT TUESDAY is right around the corner.

And that is awesome because it's totally an excuse to fall off of whatever New Year's Resolution wagon you might be on.

and that is ALWAYS a good thing!!

:-)

This picture is of my CrockPot Barbecue Shrimp ---- it's a fantastic recipe and is super fun to make if you are in the mood to eat with your fingers and make slurpy noises.

If eating with utensils is more your thing, then here is a Slow Cooker Jambalaya, and here is a Slow Cooker Gumbo.

Both are excellent and amazing and can be customized depending on how spicy you like things.

I also want to type out a recipe from my 365 Slow Cooker Suppers book for you --- it isn't on the website, but if you have the book, it's on page 77.

Enjoy!

Sausage and Red Beans for a Crowd

serves 10

found on page 77 of 365 Slow Cooker Suppers

1 pound small red beans, soaked overnight, and boiled on the stove for 10 minutes

1 pound spicy smoked sausage, sliced

2 onions, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

8 whole garlic cloves, peeled

6 cups chicken broth

hot, cooked rice (cooked separately according to package instructions, to add later)

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Soak the red beans overnight, and then boil rapidly on the stove in fresh water for 10 minutes. Red beans must be parboiled before slow cooking to kill a naturally-occurring toxin.

Put the drained beans into your slow cooker, and add sausage, onion, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Stir in chicken broth. Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until beans are bite-tender. Serve over a scoop of hot, white rice.

The Verdict

This New Orleans classic is a slow cooker staple. I like cooking my dry beans in broth instead of water to infuse more flavor into the beans. I keep bouillon on hand to keep this cost-effective (my favorite is Better than Bouillon).

:-)

enjoy!! Happy Slow Cooking, Happy Friday, and Happy almost-Fat Tuesday!!

steph