Slow Cooker Red Beans & Rice

1 sprays cooking spray
1 small onion(s), chopped
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
14 1/2 oz canned stewed tomatoes
15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp cilantro (I used dried)
1 tsp onion powder (or you can use raw)

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion (if your using raw onion) and garlic to skillet and saute until slightly softened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, place rice, broth, tomato puree, beans, chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker; add sauteed vegetables. Cover and cook on low setting for 3 1/2 hours; stir in cilantro just before serving. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Notes
You can make this on the stove top just add all the dry seasonings to the broth (you might need to add a little more than stated) and use that to cook the rice first and then once the rice is done all all the other ingredients, heat through and serve.

Start this dish on a weekend morning and you'll have lunch waiting for you. But don't keep the beans and rice simmering all day, as the consistency will suffer.

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user DNTBGMEB4COFE.