Red Beans and Rice (vegan)

This is the vegan red beans recipe that I served on Mardi Gras 2015. It started as a recipe from a website, but then I monkeyed with it. I'll describe exactly what I did, and you can do with that information what you will. I made kind of a half recipe and cooked it in my small slow-cooker. If you use a full-size slow-cooker, you might consider making a double batch.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion
• 4 stalks celery
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 lb. dry "Central American Red Beans" (Goya)
• 3 cups vegetable broth (I used "Better than Bullion")
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme 
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
• Freshly cracked pepper (8 cranks of a mill)
• Tofurky vegan kielbasa
• 3 cups cooked rice

Instructions

The day before:

1. Peel and mince the garlic. Finely dice the celery and onion. Sauté all three in the olive oil on medium heat until softened - about 5 - 7 minutes.
2. Place the sautéed vegetables in a storage container. Add the vegetable broth, thyme, oregano, paprika, pepper, and liquid smoke. Give it a stir, then seal the container and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
   Note 1: If you want some heat in your beans, you can add some cayenne pepper or hot sauce at this stage. The original recipe called for "a pinch" of cayenne. You can be your own judge.
   Note 2: I cooked the vegetables and mixed the broth the day before mostly because I planned to dump it all in the slow-cooker in the morning and I wanted all the prep-work done ahead of time. You could do this all the day of if you have the time. However, the overnight in the fridge probably blends the flavors together better.
3. Rinse the beans, then place them in a container and cover them with a few inches of water. Seal the container and place it in the refrigerator to soak over night.

The day of:

1. Drain the soaked beans in a strainer and rinse them with fresh, cool water. Place the rinsed beans in the slow-cooker. Next add the herbed broth and vegetable mixture and the bay leaf. Give it all a good stir.
2. Put the lid on the cooker and set it to "High." Let cook for 5 hours. During this time, do not remove the lid if you don't have to, but peek through the glass to make sure there is still enough liquid. I did not have to add any, but slow-cookers vary.
3. After 5 hours, check the beans. If they aren't tender, let them cook a little longer. If they are ready, take a spoon and smash some beans against the inside of the cooker and then stir the mashed beans into the mix. Do this a number of times so that the mashed beans add some thickness to the dish.
4. Cut 2 to 4 of the Tofurky kielbasas into slices. I used 2 sausages, but Amy said she would have preferred more. Slice them thick or thin to suit your tastes, cutting the slices in halves or quarters if you want (or not - whatever you like). Add your sliced kielbasa to the slow-cooker and stir it all up.
5. Put the lid back on and turn the heat down to "Warm". Let the kielbasa warm up for 15 - 30 minutes.
6. Serve over cooked rice and enjoy! (Don't forget to take that bay leaf out first).

Note on bean safety: I went with the "Central American Red Beans" because I wanted small beans. A lot of red beans recipes call for kidney beans, and if that's what you want, go for it. But remember that if you use dry kidney beans, they need to be boiled for at least 10 minutes before soaking them to break down the lectin toxins (phytohaemagglutinin - say that 3 times fast).