Beans and Rice (Soy, Wheat, Milk, Fish, Nut and Egg-Free)

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I am also excited to share this new recipe with you!  It is top 8 free (assuming all your ingredients are) and super simple to make!  It takes half an hour or less to prepare, fills you up, and will feed the whole family well.  It's a Tex-Mex-type dish that can be mildly spicy or extra spicy, depending on your personal preference.  My whole family enjoys it equally, which says a lot since they don't always agree when it comes to Tex-Mex!  If you're a fan of Tex-Mex, this may just be the recipe for you!

(Note: The sausage we normally use does contain "natural flavors", but claims to be free of all the top 8 allergens.  If you are nervous about using it or another type of sausage, please follow one of the variations below that suits your needs better.)

Beans and Rice

1 lb. allergy-friendly ground sausage in the roll package, any heat

(We use Bob Evans Naturally! Original Roll Sausage.)

16 oz. allergy-friendly dark red kidney beans, drained

(We normally use Bush's.)

16 oz. allergy-friendly light red kidney beans, drained

(We normally use Bush's.)

12- 16 oz. allergy-friendly salsa, any heat

32 oz. allergy-friendly chicken broth

(We use Pacific brand.)

1 - 2 Tablespoons parsley flakes

14 oz. plain instant rice, white or brown or wild

(Yes, it has to be instant rice, but the type of instant is up to you as long as it is just rice with no spices added.)

1. In a very large skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat and drain.  (Note: You will need a lid for step 4, so make sure your skillet has a lid before you start to use it!)
     
2. Add the drained beans, salsa, chicken broth and parsley to the skillet and heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.  (Note: The amount of salsa and parsley are based on personal preference.)
      
3. Add the rice, stir, and bring the mixture to boiling again (Note: You want a rapid or hard boil.).
     
4. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.  DO NOT STIR OR REMOVE THE LID!
     
5. After the 5 minutes is up, stir the beans and rice, remove the skillet from off the heat, re-cover the skillet, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  (Note: If you find that the rice is not tender enough for you, you may want to let it stand a bit longer or cook it for up to 10 minutes total before letting it rest.  I recommend trying it cooked for 5 minutes and then letting it stand for 5 minutes to see if it is tender enough for you.  If not, let it stand 2 or 3 minutes more.  Again, if it is still not to your liking, you may have to bring it back up to boiling and cook it a bit longer.)

Serves a family of 5 easily, though I can't promise leftovers unless you don't have teenagers. :D

Variations (Please keep your individual allergen needs in mind when you use variations):

• Different Broth: If you don't like chicken broth, you can use beef or vegetable broth.  You could even use water, but the flavor will be more bland.
     
• Vegan/Vegetarian: Leave out the sausage and make sure your beans are vegetarian/vegan for a vegetarian version.  Go a step further and use vegetable broth or water as well to make this recipe vegan.  You could even use mushrooms instead of sausage.
   
• Different/Additional Meat: As I mentioned above, you can leave the sausage out or you could even use or add chicken, mushrooms, another type of sausage, or hamburger - whatever you fancy.  As long as you don't overflow your skillet, you are good to go, though I recommend using no more than 2 lbs. worth of meat.
  
  
• More Heat: If you like it really spicy, you could even add jalapeños or another spicy pepper or peppers according to taste preference.
       
• Other Beans: You can use all the same type of kidney beans, sub black beans, white beans, pinto, red beans, or another favorite type of bean to this dish if you so desire (choose a type of bean that you'd use in chili, though, that doesn't have anything in it other than beans - you don't want baked beans or beans in a flavored sauce).  You could even add up to 2 additional 16 oz. cans of beans if you desire and your skillet is big enough.

Tasty, easy, and allergy-friendly to boot!

Delish!