Red Beans & Brown Rice

[twitter name="name"]What could be better for your ticker this February than red beans and brown rice?  If you read Eat Red for Heart Month, you'll note red beans are one of the highest anti-oxidant and fiber containing foods on the planet.  Pair them with brown rice and you've got one delicious cholesterol-reducing meal!This recipe was adapted from Vegweb.com.  As always, feel free to substitute.  No red beans on hand?  No problem, use kidney beans.  Out of canola oil?  Sub olive oil instead.  If you're really in a hurry, use instant brown rice and cook the beans and vegetables together first for 30 minutes, then serve over brown rice.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, cut into pieces
• 1½ cups uncooked brown rice
• 1 (15 oz) can red beans, rinsed & drained
• 3 cups low chicken broth
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce
• 1 tsp. dried Thyme
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground pepper
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions1. Heat the oil and add the onions, garlic and peppers.  Cook until soft, ~7 minutes.2.  Add the brown rice, carrots, red beans, broth and seasonings.3.  Simmer over low heat for ~50 minutes until the rice is tender.4.  Add more hot sauce or cayenne as desired.Makes 8 servings.Nutrition facts per serving:  336 calories, 5 gm fat, 59 gm carbohydrate, 14.2 gm protein, 9 gm fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 351 mg sodium