Red Beans and Rice

I probably should have made this recipe for Fat Tuesday.  Oh well, better late then never.  This recipe is from the Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes cookbook and it utilizes a wide variety of spices to replace that bacon that one would normally use in a meaty red beans and rice. 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes, unsalted
1 15-ounce can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup water
3 cups hot cooked long grain rice (white or brown)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, allspice, oregano, thyme, brown sugar, nutmeg, and both kinds of pepper.  Stir in the water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 
2. Combine with the rice just before serving.