Red beans and rice

 Red Beans and Rice, Trini Style

Today I thought I would post a recipe to use that green seasoning.  I modified the recipe below from Simplytrinicooking.com.  The website is a bit weird, but there are some good recipes if you dig a bit.  The green seasoning really comes through.  You can use dried beans or canned.  Really, dried really isn't that much more work and you can control the hardness of the beans.  Canned beans are guaranteed to be uber-soft by the end.  This recipe is a good vehicle for hot sauce.  The baking soda is added to aid the cooking of the beans.  The acidic tomato paste is added later to avoid counteracting the baking soda.

1 cup of long grain rice, rinsed to remove dirt + starch
1 cup dry kidney beans or 2 cans
1 jalapeno, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup diced, peeled squash, such as acorn
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro
2 tbsp green seasoning
1 stalk celery
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
salt to taste (start with a teaspoon)

1) Cook the rice and set aside.
2) Mix together the beans, chili, squash, onion, garlic, celery, and baking soda along with 3 cups of water.
3) Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer uncovered until the beans are the desired tenderness, 15-30 minutes.
4) Add green season, tomato paste, pepper, and cilantro and simmer until the desired consistency is reached.
5) Serve on the rice along with your favorite death sauce.