BeetEater.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I spent the holiday visiting family in the Mississippi Gulf Coast/New Orleans area. Since my return, I’ve been craving the classic southern cooking that I grew up eating. Mardi Gras is just around the corner, so I’ve made it my mission to
Hold Up… Red Beans Ain’t Vegan?
In the days before washing machines, red beans were served on Mondays, which were wash days. Women could simmer the beans with the leftover ham hock from Sunday dinner while they scrubbed laundry. I developed a mock ham hock blend that Mr. T has dubbed “Faux Hock.” It will infuse the beans with authentic southern flavor while keeping your swine safe from supper. Another key flavor element is the “Holy Trinity.” This is a NOLA term for onions, celery, and green bell pepper. Feel free to add some more herbs or spices to make it just the way your grandmama made it. Just be careful about salt until after you’ve tasted the cooked beans. There is already
Soakin’ is Mo’ Betta’
It’s worth the effort to soak your beans overnight. After soaking, thoroughly drain the beans, then use fresh water for cooking. If you forgot, you can also flash-soak or quick-soak your beans, which takes about an hour. To do this, rinse and sort your beans, keeping an eye out for any stray pebbles. In a
I served mine along with seared Vegan Jumbo Hot Dogs from Aldi, with some Crystal hot sauce and ketchup on the side. And for dessert, what could be better than
Vegan Red Beans and Rice with Faux Hock
Ingredients
- 1 pound small red beans or kidney beans
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 quarts of water
The “Holy Trinity”
- tbsp 1coconut oil Optional
- 8 oz diced onion ~1 medium or 2 small
- 8 oz diced celery ~5-6 stalks
- 8 oz diced bell pepper seeded (~1 pepper)
Sauté Just Before Adding Beans
- 6-8 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 1 jalepeño seeded and minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2-3 Bay Leaves
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
"Faux Hock"
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
For serving
- 6 cups of cooked rice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and sort the beans, then cover with a few inches of cold water. Stir in the salt until dissolved, then allow the beans to soak overnight (alternatively, you can flash-soak them, as described above).
- In a large stock pot, sauté the “Holy Trinity” of vegetables in (optional) coconut oil, or water sauté, for approximately 10 minutes. Vegetables should become very soft.
- Add the garlic, jalapeño, thyme, pepper, bay leaves, and cayenne and sauté for another 1-3 minutes.
- Add the drained beans, the “Faux Hock” ingredients, 2 quarts of fresh water, and bring to a boil. You may skim off some of the foam that appears on top of the water.
- Lower the heat, and simmer the beans for an additional 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- The beans are fully cooked when they are very tender and can be easily crushed.
- With a potato masher or with the back of your spoon, crush between 1/3 and 1/2 of the beans (to your preference) in the pot and mix until a thick gravy is formed. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Spoon into a bowl over cooked rice and serve.