Comfort food that won't blow your budget

Knowing that my job may be eliminated in two months makes me want to eat every bit of junk food I can find. And since I've been craving red beans and rice but am unlikely to get to New Orleans (or even the Jazz Kitchen) any time soon, I decided to make one of my favorite comfort foods myself, with an eye to my budget and my diet. Hope you enjoy this, too.

Red beans and rice
6 servings, 6 Points each

2/3 lb dried dark red kidney beans
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 Tbsp. thyme
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth, or homemade
2 bay leaves
1 cup uncooked brown rice

Place the beans in a large bowl and add water (about 1 inch above the beans, maybe 2 or 3 quarts). Soak overnight. Drain and rinse.

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic until browned. Add the smoked sausage, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the red beans, chicken stock and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.

When the bean mixture is about done, cook the rice. You should be able to take about 2 cups of broth from the bean mixture -- cook the rice in that instead of water. Yum! Then discard the bay leaves, add a few drops of hot sauce to taste, and enjoy.

What it costs:
$9.00 total, $1.50/serving (or less, if you have rice or other ingredients in your pantry)

Make it cheaper:
*I used 2/3 lb. dried red beans, soaked and rinsed, instead of 2 cans red beans

Make it healthier:
*I used brown rice instead of white
*I used turkey sausage instead of pork sausage