Chicken Sausage With Beans And Okra

I have two huge recipe binders in my kitchen that are filled with clipped recipes.  Between emails, magazines and recipes shared between friends and family, I have quite the collection.  This past weekend, I decided to sort through them to find some new recipes to try out.  I found a really simple recipe from Everyday Food (November 2009) for Red Beans with Andouille Sausage.  I liked the concept of the dish but I didn't have all of the ingredients and I was too impatient to soak the dried red beans overnight.  So, I adapted the recipe to make a healthier version with chicken sausage, red and black beans and okra.

First, I gathered my ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 package (12 ounces) of sweet Italian-style chicken sausage, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 2 cups water
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 cup frozen chopped okra
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In my Dutch oven, I warmed the oil over medium heat.  I added the chicken sausage and cooked until the sausages were browned.

Using a slotted spoon, I transferred the sausages to plate.  I then added the onion and garlic to the pan and cooked until softened.

I then added the two cans of beans in with the canned bean juices, along with the two cups of water and a generous pinch of the red pepper flakes.  I brought the entire mixture to a boil and then reduced it to a simmer. 

I let the beans cook for about half an hour before I stirred in the frozen okra and the chicken sausage. 

I let the entire mixture simmer for another thirty minutes and seasoned with salt and pepper, to taste.  The liquid thickened up into a wonderful sauce with a lot of flavor from the beans, chicken sausage drippings, and garlic.  The okra added texture and crunch.

If there was more of this liquid, it would have made this dish into a really thick and hearty soup.  Instead, this wasn't quite a soup but filling nonetheless.  Bret and I each had a huge bowl of this dish and it warmed us right up during this cold weekend.

In addition to this recipe, I pulled out a few different clipped recipes to try during the coming weeks.  Tell me, where do you usually find inspiration for new dishes?