Crowder Peas Succotash

While most succotash recipes call for lima beans, this one features crowder peas — as well as fresh or frozen corn kernels, chopped onion, red and green bell pepper and seasonings. It’s a great way to add a pop of color and fresh flavor to your holiday table and will complement any main dish.

Cauliflower Lima Bean Au Gratin

With all the goodness of a creamy mac ‘n cheese, our Cauliflower Lima Bean Au Gratin brings together cauliflower, buttery large lima beans, and a heavenly bechamel sauce made with butter, flour, milk, seasonings, sharp cheddar and freshly grated Parmesan. Topped with bread crumbs, and baked till bubbly and brown, this cheesy dish will complement ham, roasts or turkey. And it will be gobbled up by adults and kids alike.

Blackeye Pea Salad

This delicious recipe from Chef Jennifer Hill Booker is a real crowd pleaser, no matter what the occasion. A slightly different take on the ever-popular Cowboy Caviar, it features cooked Camellia Brand Blackeye Peas, fresh thyme, parsley, red and green bell pepper and a tangy apple cider vinaigrette with a touch of honey and red pepper flakes. Serve it with big Frito scoops, crackers, and chips and watch it disappear.

Buttermilk Cornbread in Cast Iron Skillet

Featuring the flavors of browned butter, tangy buttermilk, and sweet maple syrup, this cornbread recipe is a southern favorite that’ll get gobbled up as a side dish (or the next day for breakfast)! It’s especially helpful for scooping up other sides like succotash. The recipe is versatile, so if you like a sweeter cornbread, feel free to add more maple, honey or agave syrup to suit your taste.

Maybe you’re a seasoned cook with a little too much on your plate right now. Or you’re new-ish to New Orleans classics and need some gentle guidance. Either way, there’s a time and a place for simpler (yet still delicious) red beans and rice. And it calls for Camellia Red Bean Flavor Infusion — a tried-and-true blend of authentic Creole spices and vegetables you can use to season a pot of Camellia Red Kidney Beans to perfection.

Camellia Red Bean Flavor Infusion is all natural, gluten free, and easy to use. It has the key spices and vegetables you need to make the best red beans, with the kind of nuanced, savory, foolproof flavor that tastes like you’ve been adding a little of this and a little of that to the pot all day long.

There’s a three-step recipe right on the box; all you do is add a 1-lb. bag of Camellia Red Kidney Beans, water, the Red Bean Flavor Infusion, and simmer on the stove. It’s worth noting that the recipe is so versatile, you can add smoked sausage, andouille sausage, or ham when you add the seasoning — or, keep it vegan. And if you like extra veggie flavor, feel free to sauté and add the trinity, as well. The point is that the recipe can be very straight-ahead and simple — just the beans, the seasoning, and water — or, you can add whatever else you like to achieve your perfect pot of red beans.

For creamy, tasty homemade red beans:

1) In a heavy pot, add 1 lb. Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and sorted, plus 8-10 cups of water.
2) Bring beans to a boil for 10 minutes.
3) Stir in Red Bean Flavor Infusion, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 1 ½ hours — or until beans are tender.

Creole Red Beans: Step-by-Step

First up. Rinse and sort the beans, and add them to a heavy pot with 8-10 cups of water. (Want to sauté some trinity and add that, as well? Go right ahead.) Bring the beans to a boil on the stovetop for 10 minutes.

Then, stir in the Creole Red Bean Seasoning, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. (Adding all the seasoning at this point won’t keep the beans from getting soft, we promise! Read more about that myth.)

By the way, this would also good time to add sautéed smoked sausage, andouille sausage, or ham — if you like your red beans meaty.

As your beans slowly simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, lift the cover, and stir occasionally. If you like them creamier, use the back of a spoon to mash some of the beans against the inside of the pot.

Once your red beans are nice and soft, serve with hot cooked rice alongside some cornbread or French bread. Sprinkle with chopped green onions, offer up some hot sauce, and delight in the fact that this time, you took an easier route — but just as delicious — to a tried and true favorite.