Cajun 15 Beans and Quinoa

Cajun 15 Beans and Quinoa is a slightly spicy Cajun Homage made with 15 different beans, chicken broth, Ro*Tel tomatoes, Andouille sausage, yellow onions, red bell peppers, carrots, celery, minced garlic, and other wonderful Cajun flavors and seasonings served over Cajun Quinoa Rice.

Yesterday, perusing the market half board, hungry, and yes, I might add a bit cranky from lack of sleep, what did I see again? Those lovely beans I had used in my Cajun 15 Bean Soup recipe. I stood there thinking and pondering what to do next when I noticed the organic white quinoa I had scored on sale at Winn-Dixie. The smoke started rolling as my brain kicked into overdrive. I had an idea!

 

Not too long ago this past February, when shopping, I found a little product I love called Hurst’s® 15 Bean Soup mix. What was it? A pound of 15 different dried beans in a plastic bag with a tiny seasoning package. The seasoning, yeah, you know, I tossed that out to use my favorite seasonings and check the ingredients a little closer. I decided on making a Cajun 15 Bean soup back then, which I am thrilled to say was a massive hit in our household.

Most of you know that I wasn’t the biggest fan when I first tried quinoa because I had made it wrong and then chalked it up to an epic failure. I’m glad I tried it again a few times to get a feel for cooking it because it is a versatile, beautiful ingredient. So, I like to use every blue moon on the blog to show you that quinoa can be anything but a pesky, bland ingredient that we bloggers want to shove under your nose because it’s the new ingredient in town.

 

 

 

Cajun 15 Beans and Quinoa

• One Package of Hurst’s® 15 Beans
• Two cups of chicken broth
• Two cups of water
• One can of Ro*Tel tomatoes
• One pound of Andouille sausage or smoked sausage, sliced
• One large yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 of a cup red pepper diced
• 1/2 of a cup of diced carrots
• 1/2 of a cup of diced celery
• Three cloves of minced garlic
• Two tablespoons of hot sauce
• One tablespoon of Cajun seasoning
• One teaspoon of dried thyme
• Kosher salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

 

Cajun Quinoa 

• Two cups of white organic quinoa
• Four cups chicken broth
• One teaspoon of Cajun seasoning
• One minced garlic clove
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Green scallions, garnish

 

 

 

Directions For Cajun 15 Beans and Quinoa

1. Be sure to wash and sort your beans before the quick soak to remove debris or bad beans.
2. Place the beans in salted water and use about one teaspoon of kosher salt (water should be 1 inch above dried beans) in a  Dutch oven.
3. Bring the dried beans to a full boil. Allow the beans to boil for about 5-6 minutes.
4. Remove the saucepan or Dutch oven from the heat, cover it with a tight-fitting lid, and let the beans soak for at least 1 hour.
5. Drain beans in a colander and thoroughly rinse them.
6. Add beans to the Dutch oven, 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of water, and one can of Ro*Tel tomatoes. Place on medium heat.
7. Meanwhile, in a metal skillet, add andouille sausage or smoked sausage, diced red pepper, onion, carrots, celery, and minced garlic. Cook about 5-6 minutes on low to medium heat.
8. Add sausage and vegetable mixture to the Dutch oven along with two tablespoons of hot sauce, one tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, one teaspoon of dried thyme, and kosher salt and pepper. place on low heat and cook for about 2 hours or till beans are soft then turn off the heat source.
9. Cover with a tight-fitting lid till ready for use.

 

 

Cajun 15 Beans and Quinoa and How to Cook Quinoa

1. Rinse the quinoa, measure 2 cups of white organic quinoa, and place it in a strainer with fine mesh. Rinse the white organic quinoa thoroughly with cold tap water for 2 -3 minutes. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing in cold tap water.
2. Add white organic quinoa, Cajun seasoning, minced garlic clove, and kosher salt to your taste to the 4 cups of chicken broth and bring to a full boil in a medium-sized metal saucepan.
3. Lower heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes or till you notice the ring pop on the organic quinoa.
4. Let stand, covered, for 5-6 minutes.
5. Fluff the quinoa before serving, and garnish with green scallion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch, 2023- 2013. Unauthorized use and duplication of content/ material without express and written permission from this blog’s author or owner are strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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