South Louisiana-Style Camellia White Beans and Rice

photo: Anne Prince

I don't remember where I found this recipe...somewhere on the web.  We made it for dinner last Monday night.  :)  

As I was making this, I did a few things differently than the recipe calls suggests.  I'll put the actual recipe and directions below, but put notes of what I did/didn't do.  :)

Recipe is Courtesy of Camellia Brand.

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound smoked or Andouille sausage, sliced*
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large stalk celery, chopped*
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound Camellia Brand Great Northern Beans*
• 8-10 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Creole seasoning to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions, plus extra for garnish
• Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. Rinse and sort beans.
2. To a large heavy pot over medium heat, add oil.  
3. Add sliced sausage to pot, and saute' for 5 minutes. 
4. Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to pot, and saute' till soft and translucent.
5. Add beans, water, cayenne, and bay leaf to pot.  
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 1-2 hours, or until beans are tender.  Add additional water as necessary.* 
7. For a creamier consistency, mash some beans against the side of the pot.  
8. Add salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning to taste.*
9. Just before serving, stir in fresh parsley and green onions, and serve with hot cooked rice.* 

*NOTES:  

• I used just one package of Andouille sausage.  I sliced and quartered the pieces.  Afterward, I pulled the sausage out and drained some of the grease.  
• I like a little more celery, so I used 3 stalks, but they were smaller...so it would probably equal 1 1/2 large stalks.  
• I didn't have Camellia beans on hand so I used HEB ones.
• My beans took a LONG TIME to get soft.  I started cooking them after lunch and simmered them for close to 4 hours...even put the lid on for a while.  Maybe I'll soak them first next time.  
• We did not mash any of the beans this time.
• I forgot to add the salt, pepper & Creole seasoning...but the flavor was great without it.  I don't think we added the parsley or green onions either!  

This was a fun change to the usual Red Beans & Rice we sometimes fix on Mondays.  Edd liked this!  :) Mattie said she prefers the spices I use in the Red Beans & Rice recipe.  

Here is a link that I just found for the recipe from the Camellia website.  It looks like they updated the recipe a little bit from the one I have above by adding Camellia Navy beans as an alternative choice for the Great Northern Beans.  

https://www.camelliabrand.com/recipes/south-louisiana-style-white-beans-rice/ 

FAMILY RANK:  

• EDD: 3-4/5 stars...would have been better if the beans were all soft.
• THOMAS: 7/10
• MATTIE:  likes Red Beans & Rice better

Annie Ray's Recipes...a collection of recipes that we like at our house...and a few other things here and there!

Hmmm...what to post first???

LEMON BALLS

I was in line at the grocery store tonight and the cashier whose line I was in, told me about this recipe.  She'd heard about it from another customer one day! 


1 pkg lemon flavored OREO's
1 pkg cream cheese 
chocolate

1.  crumb OREO's in the blender
2.  mix crumbs with cream cheese
3.  form mixture into balls
4.  dip balls into melted chocolate
5.  let cool
6.  decorate as desired

ENJOY!!!