Red Beans with Cumin and Sausage

It's a tough economy for foodies. The simple solution: take basic staples and pair with trusted seasonings for a meal that is satisfying, comfortingly familiar and utterly nutritious. My sister-in-law, Faith, created this little beauty of a recipe, and included a recipe for Baked Brown Rice to complement it. She serves it with her favorite hot sauce ("I’m a Crystal fan!" says Faith), and a dollop of sour cream or some cheese (which is how her husband prefers his). Faith also likes to mix things up a little: "I love bell peppers in this recipe, and will often double them. I usually put in two yellow bell peppers, and one red. I also put in another can of diced tomatoes, but in that case (using two cans) I drain them first. Otherwise, you’ll end up with soup!"
The cumin's charm is its ubiquitousness: nutty peppery flavor with slight citrus overtones, packing punch in traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes and conversely in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.
For as many times as I've prepared dishes with turkey or chicken sausages, I recently borrowed Richard Linklater's Fast Food Nation from San Clemente Library, and the experience of watching that movie has put me off meat products. I'm not sufficiently left-wing to qualify for PETA-esque activism--Perhaps I should start my own movement of the compassionate-and-grossed-out? I could give it a catchy acronym, like EARTHA (Ethical Alternatives for wRongfully Treated Humans and Animals). To that end, I've substituted Tofurkey for smoked sausage, to make this a vegan dish. Make yours how you will.

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package smoked turkey sausage, chopped (I used 3 Tofurkey Italian-style sausages)
1 14.5 oz can of organic red beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can of diced organic tomatoes (preferably “no salt added” kind)
1 tablespoon ground cumin*
½ - ¾ teaspoon ground red pepper/cayenne pepper (to taste)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat a large skillet over med-high heat with a little olive oil for sautéing the veggies. Add bell peppers and onion and cook for about 5-6 minutes, while you chop the turkey sausage. Add turkey sausage when chopped, cooking all these ingredients for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Drain and rinse red beans, and add to the pan with cumin and red/cayenne pepper. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, then taste; add more cayenne and cumin. Allow to simmer on medium heat for another 10-15 minutes to let flavors come together. Makes 6-7 good-sized portions.

Food Fact! Cumin seeds are oblong in shape and yellow-brown in color, resembling caraway seeds. In fact, cumin, caraway, parsley and dill belong to the Umbelliferae family. Cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum) are a very good source of iron, transporting oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, are part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism, and instrumental in keeping your immune system healthy.
Native to Egypt and cultivated in the Middle East, India, China and Mediterranean countries for millennia, cumin is mentioned in the Bible as a seasoning for soup and bread, and as currency for paying tithes. During the Middle Ages in Europe, cumin was one of the most common spices used, and became recognized as a symbol of love and fidelity. According to http://www.whfoods.com/, "people carried cumin in their pockets when attending wedding ceremonies, and married soldiers were sent off to war with a loaf of cumin bread baked by their wives. Cumin's use for fortifying love is also represented in certain Arabic traditions in which a paste of ground cumin, pepper and honey is thought to have aphrodisiac properties."
*When available, use whole cumin seeds instead of cumin powder since powder loses its flavor more quickly; seeds can be easily ground with a mortar and pestle. To bring out the fullness of cumin's aroma and flavor, lightly roast whole cumin seeds before grinding.