Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

This is the ultimate in thriftiness and convenience - beans in a slow cooker. The long, slow cooking time coaxes all the flavor from the sausage into the beans for a mild yet full-flavored dish. You can also cook in on low heat for 8 hours.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 cup bean mixture, 3/4 cup rice, and 1 tablespoon green onions)

Ingredients
* 3 cups water
* 1 cup dried red kidney beans
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
* 3/4 cup chopped celery
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 (14-ounce) package turkey, pork, and beef smoked sausage, thinly sliced (such as Healthy Choice)
* 1 bay leaf
* 5 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice
* 1/4 cup chopped green onions


Preparation
Combine first 12 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Cover with lid; cook on high heat for 5 hours. Discard bay leaf; stir in salt. Serve over rice; sprinkle servings evenly with green onions.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 413 (5% from fat)
Fat: 2.5g (sat 0.7g,mono 0.2g,poly 0.5g)
Protein: 21.1g
Carbohydrate: 76.3g
Fiber: 10.1g
Cholesterol: 18mg
Iron: 6mg
Sodium: 749mg
Calcium: 102mg

source:
by: myrecipes.com
Photo: Randy Mayor