day 8..... Sausage, Bean and Rice Skillet

This was one of the creations in a new cooking magazine that my husband picked up for me this past weekend. I varied it a little by adding some red pepper in addition to the green, and it called for doing it in a casserole in the oven. Well, let me tell you, when it is 93 degrees out, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven. Never mind the fact that I turned it on later anyways to bake a quick batch of chocolate chip cookies :) Also, I think there might have been an error in the recipe. I am going to contact them and ask them. It called for a cup of instant brown rice, and no liquid, as in water, broth, nothing but a cup of oil. Well, I wasn't going to go through all of that and have my meal come out an oily, yucky mess. So, to play it safe, I cooked the instant rice on the stove in a pot, and then constructed the rest of it in a large cast iron skillet and combined it with the rice in the large stainless bowl. I think it was a hit. One of the kids decided she didn't like the white beans even though she LOVES them in a white bean chicken chili recipe that I am positive will make its way here sometime in the future. My husband was a little surprised by the slight sweet taste, but he liked it as well. We doubled the recipe and it fed 10 with enough leftover to feed him for lunch tomorrow.

Sausage, Bean and Rice Skillet

1 cup instant brown rice
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
1/2 a medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 a medium red pepper, chopped
1 T oil of your choice
1 tsp minced garlic
1 pound Polska Kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 ounces) great white northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
3 T corn syrup
1 T Dijon or horseradish mustard

In large saucepan, cook rice and water according to directions on box.  While rice is cooking, in a large skillet, saute onion and peppers in oil until onion is starting to get tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
Add meat and beans and combine, heating until everything is warmed, stirring as needed. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir into the meat mixture. Add this to the rice and stir softly to combine all ingredients. Serve hot and enjoy!