Jambalaya!
Mmm, mmm, spicy goodness! :-)
This is a collaborative cooking venture in that my husband came up with the recipe (he pulled the best of a variety of recipes) and I helped prepare it. Picture doesn't really do it justice!
Ingredients
chopped:
1 large onion
1 bell pepper
4 celery stalks
3 tomatoes
combine with:
2 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste browned
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups rice (uncooked)
stir in seasonings:
1/2 tsp Jamaica Me Crazy Spice Mix
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
Meanwhile, slice 2-3 Tofurky sausages and fry lightly in just a hint of oil.
(we used the Kielbasa flavored sausages)
Add everything but the sausages large soup pot, simmer until rice is cooked (it will absorb most of the vegetable stalk; consistency should be a bit "sticky" but not at all watery)
When cooked, add Tofurky slices, stir and serve.
Makes 4-6 servings, maybe more depending on how hungry you are. It's great as left-overs, too, even spicier the next day.
My husband and I really enjoyed this dish. I must say it was just a tad spicy for my palate, but perfect for his, so adjust the pepper accordingly. Also, if you don't have Jamaica Me Crazy (or another "jerk" spice mix) then just add a dash of paprika and sugar.
Also, I had never browned tomato paste before, and am not sure how successful I was with it so I'd recommend checking out some how-to sources online if you're unsure as I am not the best person to give advice!
This is definitely a hearty dish with a great variety of veggies, protein and grains and it is one we will definitely prepare again.
*My second entry in the Weekly Vegan Cooking Challenge, headed by my friend Lee over at her blog Vegaloca.
Thanks Kathryn (and hubby)! I have always wanted a good jambalaya recipe. I have never browned tomato paste, either. Is it supposed to intensify the flavor?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a really hearty meal. How do you like the Tofurkey sausages you used? I'm curious about the tomato past too.
ReplyDeleteYum. I've never even heard of browning tomato paste. I don't like meat substitutes but they definitely make this dish more authentic. Kathryn, your husband is very creative!
ReplyDeleteI like Tofurkey sausages and I can imagine they taste really good in this type of dish.
ReplyDeleteI do a tomato soup recipe that calls for browning the paste. I gather it's supposed to give the dish a smoked flavor? But I never do it because it just sounds so odd! Anyway, this sounds really good Kathryn!
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for the responses! It really helps me feel motivated to get in the kitchen when I know other people are reading about my culinary adventures ;-)
ReplyDeleteRE My Hubby: Yes, I'm so lucky, my husband enjoys spending time in the kitchen--and is supportive of my diet choices ;-) One of his favorite things to do is experiment with spice mixtures, so this was perfect for him!
RE Tofurky: I'm also not too big on the meat substitutes I've tried, but I've gotta say the Tofurky sausages really worked in this recipe. We did the Kielbasa flavor and it definitely complimented the spiciness of the dish. Plus, since jambalaya is such a "meaty" dish traditionally, it just seemed necessary to have something along those lines in the recipe in vegan-form. I definitely recommend cutting them up and frying them first, and adding them at the end, as they stayed crispier and didn't just sog into the rest of the rice mix.
RE browning the tomato paste: I read somewhere that it's called "letting it pincé"--browning to add additional depth of flavor because the sugar in the tomato paste begins to caramelize, deepening the flavor and color. I am not sure how successful I was at doing this before I added the paste to the mixture--I was afraid I'd burn it so I think mine was under done--but the paste that was at the bottom of the jambalaya pan got all brown and, dang, was it yummy! ;-p I will have to try to do better at browning the paste BEFORE I add it next time!