Friends of mine were celebrating Fat Tuesday yesterday with Cajun Red Beans & Rice. They shared it on Facebook, which made me long for that spicy, delicious dish. However, it’s not the healthiest meal when it’s served in mainstream restaurants, due to the excessive protein, fat, and cholesterol. It’s also challenging to give myself an accurate amount of insulin for such a high protein, high carb, high fat dish like that. It also wouldn’t help me with my weight loss goals. So I decided to make my own version!

This week I achieved my Starch Solution Certification. Dr. McDougall’s Starch Solution is a whole foods, plant-based (WFPB) diet with an emphasis on starches (complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes, rice, corn, and beans). It promotes weight loss, optimal health, and long-term maintainability. Because I’m staying at a Marriott Residence Inn this month, I have a kitchen. Therefore, I leveraged my new knowledge to make my own healthy plant-based, oil-free, low fat version of Red Beans & Rice using fresh veggies. It is super delicious, and I love that it’s also nutritious!

Here’s the recipe in case you’d like to try it too. By the way, if you believe that the low-carb/Atkins/Paleo/Keto diets keep you trim and healthy, stay tuned for my next blog post where I bust the marketing myths.

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 small carrot, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 habanero pepper, chopped
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 2  15-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 small (or 1 large) tomatoes, chopped
• 6 cups cooked, long grain brown rice
• Chives, chopped, as desired

Directions

1. Place the broth, celery, carrots, bell pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, bay leaf, thyme, and habanero pepper into a large pot. Cook on medium, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. 
2. Add the beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Remove the bay leaf and serve 1/6 of the mixture over 1 cup of cooked rice. Top with chives. Enjoy!

Nutrition

This dish is high in calcium, iron, potassium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. The recipe makes 6 servings. Each serving contains:

• 358 calories
• 72 grams of carbs (60g net carbs)
• 2 grams of fat (0g saturated fat)
• 14 grams of protein
• 294 mg sodium

Please let me know what you think in the Comments.