Recipe Of The Week: Spicy Red Beans

You may have heard me mention lately that I'm dealing with a lot of food sensitivities at the moment.  Long story short, I was feeling sluggish and cranky and just not myself - for two years.  After lots of testing and "oh, you're fine, how about some Prozac?" I finally found a Functional Medicine doctor who took one look at my paperwork and said "Let's check your food sensitivities."
We did and I wound up being moderately to severely sensitive to 35 different foods!  Odds are, there's just one or two culprits that have so badly messed up my system that I'm now hypersensitive to everything.  But while I'm waiting for my insides to heal, I have to swear off all 35 foods - including gluten, dairy, celery, honey, cinnamon, garlic, thyme, sage, bay leaves, avocados, beef and so much more! 

I was amazed at how many foods contain at least one of those ingredients - everything from conventional ketchups to deli meat to pickle relish - it's been crazy trying to shop and cook for this diet.  However, it has led me to a few recipe gems and I plan on sharing them with you!  (I'm working on an allergy-free Thanksgiving right now - keep yours eyes peeled for the results).  During detox, as I was scrambling to make plain ol' beans exciting, I threw together this recipe and was shocked at how good it tasted. So - enjoy!!

Spicy Red Beans

1 tsp olive oil
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cilantro
liberal dash cayenne pepper

In medium skillet, heat oil.  Add onion and pepper and sautee until onion is tender.  Add beans and spices and heat through.

Serves 2

*If you like things more flavorful or spicy, double all spices.

Cuisinart Smart Stick Stainless Steel Hand Blender & Chopper (Google Affiliate Ad)