DIRTY DIRTY!!!

beans and rice?
BEANS AND RICE!!!
dudes,
i made something expert,
and it really tasted just like my memory of the non-vegan version.
that's the truth.
what do you think about beans and rice?
mmm.
me too.
it isn't what i'd call a sexy lookin' dish,
but i did what i could to make her pretty for the camera.
awwww.
here's what i came up with:

ALL THE sprankles MAKE IT NICE!!
neighbors,
i started it off with a cajun mirepoix-
you know: the holy trinity.
only,
i freaked it off a baby bit.
uh-huh.
shout outs to my man chef john for the inspiration.
no foolin',
if you've never watched food wishes on YouTube,
or visited their blog?
that dude is awesome, even if he's only made, like,
maybe one vegan thing ever.
he's still dope, and i dare somebody to disagree.
ok.
so,
that said-
it all began with one red onion,
one poblano pepper,
and two stalks of celery,
chopped.
that sizzled in oil until it was sufficiently sweat,
and the onions were turning translucent,
at which point, i added two large crushed cloves of garlic,
let that saute for a minute, with a punch of salt stirred in for good measure,
before i dropped in 2 cups of broth.
mmmmhmmmm.
and that's when things got real.
2 bay leaves.
a butt-ton of black pepper.
GPOP as always, in quantity.
smoked paprika.
hungarian hot paprika.
cayenne pepper.
a little basil.
a little oregano.
a lot of thyme.
molto molto liquid smoke,
like,
shake shake shake shake,
and then,
after about twenty minutes?
shake shake.
...precisely.
plus, 12 oz. pink beans.
pink?
that's what i had, man, so that's what got elected.
simmering all of that as it cooks down,
and smooshing about half of the beans while it does
makes for some thick and rich and exxxtra-dope sopa for it all to soak in.
that's a thing.
smoosh some of your beans, bro.
you won't regret it.
now,
i also had some rough-hewn homemade vegan sausages,
that i andouille-ified in a skillet.
sausage recipe is around here somewhere,
but you're better off waiting until i make more,
and i'll tell you how to again then....
anyway-
soy sauce, ho'auce, smoked paprika, hot paprika, liquid smoke,
and a large charge o olive oil
had regular sausages spitting hot fire in cajun patois in two minutes flat.
i tossed those jauns into the beans,
and i dropped a big scoop of sticky jasmine rice on top,.
with a bright and delightful splash of cilantro.
that was a good call.
a few fresh thinnie-thin-sliced jalapenos,
a couple drops of ho'sauce (texas pete represent)
and i was in business.
however,
too much is the right amount,
and i wasn't there yet.
....
so i also fired up some blackened seitan,
elevated with green onion spranks for good measure.
yumyumyum.
aleppo pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper, cornstarch,
a dash of masarepa, a touch of flour,
Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, salt, and fire-roasted tomato flakes.
guys,
i like a nice crust on my seitan.
i it's quick-fried in a hurry in olive oil, you get that, and it is good!
-
smoky?
check.
salty?
check.
thick and rich?
check.
spicy?
check and double check.
if you like all those things, you'll love all these things.
one bowl of burliness, perfect for plummeting temperatures.
for serious.
the temperature dropped 40 degrees from sun-up to sundown.
that's an impressive number.
luckily, i had my own hot fire, on the stove and in my stomach,
to rebut and rebuke and refute the notion that i should shiver the whole night through.
***********
time is running out.
the cucch leaves in just a few more days,
for bigger and more demanding duties and responsibilities.
it's only fair that his life takes him to new and different and likely better places.
he's a solid dude.
but,
he'll be chin-deep in family and work, and this could be the last time we overlap
for a long period of responsible adulthood's cycles and miles.
then again,
it's about time that i go visit him for a change.
i've been holed up in these hills for nigh on three years straight,
and maybe delivering myself, literally,
will garner me some of the more metaphoric variety.
i sure do hope so,
even though hope is just about the dumbest thing we do.
in the meantime,
i'm grateful for the time i get with my favorite and most bestest one.
it's enough to know i've got an other out there;\
never quiet, never soft.....