* 1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over
* 3 tablespoons Earth Balance margerine
* 3 vegan chicken breasts, cubed
* 1 large onion
* 3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
* 2 cups chopped mushrooms
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Pinch cayenne
* 3 bay leaves
* 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
* 4 Tofurky sausages (I used Italian, but I think I would have preferred The beer ones)
* 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
* 10 cups vegetable stock, or water
* 4 cups cooked rice
Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot, melt the Earth Balance over medium-high heat. Add the "chickn" and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the onions, mushrooms and bell peppers. Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and sausage, and cook, stirring to brown the sausage, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and stock or water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours. (Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more water, about 1/4 cup at a time.)
Remove from the heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.
Serve over rice. It makes A LOT. Which is a good thing.
The non vegan recipe calls for regular sausages instead of vegan ones, Ham hocks (instead of the vegan chicken breast I put) and bacon fat instead of earth balance. It also calls for a couple of celery stalks, but I don't 'do' celery
