Red Beans and Rice

It's New Year's Day, and as part of my efforts to be proactive I'm making red beans and rice today. Silly, I know. But I'll take whatever good luck we can find this year.

Most of the recipes I looked at used dried red beans, soaked over night, and cooked the rice separately. I used canned red kidney beans, and cooked the rice in with everything else. Those recipes also pretty universally included bell pepper, but I left that out. 

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery (2 stalks)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 Tbsp Sarachi hot sauce

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

8 oz diced ham

2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper

1 cup uncooked brown rice

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

In a Dutch oven, sauté onions, garlic, and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a couple of hours.