Quick Red Beans & Rice

So I just got Bobby Dean's new cookbook From Mama's Table to Mine and I love it.  This is the first recipe I have tried and it turned out really well.  I did make a few changes.  I like turkey smoked sausage and red bell pepper instead of green.  I also used an extra tablespoon of olive oil.  I felt that it needed to simmer a little longer than the 10 minutes from the original recipe.  I did not think my kids would eat this but I'm happy to say they did minus the scallions and adding shredded cheddar cheese.  The next recipe I'm going to try from this cookbook is pickled shrimp, Enjoy!

2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound smoked turkey sausage, sliced

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 15 1/2-ounce cans low sodium red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 cups cooked white rice
Chopped scallions, for garnish

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion and red bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beans, chicken broth, cumin, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve the beans over the rice and garnish with the scallions.