We had Chinese take out last night for Chinese New Year and I discovered that I like Moo Shi Vegetables better Moo Shi Shrimp. It was slightly less sweet but you could have knocked me over with a feather with this revelation! So tonight I decided to go with a New Orleans dish with Madris Gras this Tuesday. I usually make a King Cake (from Jambalaya Jr League cookbook) but DH didn't want it this year. I think he is trying to be good dietwise. I picked our favorite Jamabalya recipe from the cookbook with the same name. DH bought this cookbook for me on his first business trip to New Orleans almost 9 years ago. It is a great cookbook but now I have the near-vegan challenge. I decided to make two versions. Leftovers are needed in this house for lunch and for when I'm out of town. To make this dish vegan was really easy- I left out the sausage and shrimp :( and added more red pepper and onion. I love red pepper and suateed onion so that made up for the missing shrimp. I also added a dash of liquid smoke- I hope that's vegan! And I served it over steamed collards (just because I like that.) If I were to make this again, I would try adding a teaspoon or so of cajun seasoning for some added flavor and kick.
4 flamingos for taste
4 for effort (because I made two separate jambalayas)
Sausage and Ham Jambalaya
adapted from Jambalaya: A Collection fo Cajun & Creole Favorites from The Junior League of New Orleans
i large onion, cut into 1/4" dice
1 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (about 2 cups)
2 large cloves garlic
3/4 cup dry white wine plus 1 glass for the cook ;)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 + teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 + teaspoon dried basil
1/4 + teaspoon dried majoram
1/2 + teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup brown rice
Sausage and Ham Jambalaya
adapted from Jambalaya: A Collection fo Cajun & Creole Favorites from The Junior League of New Orleans
i large onion, cut into 1/4" dice
1 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (about 2 cups)
2 large cloves garlic
3/4 cup dry white wine plus 1 glass for the cook ;)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 + teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 + teaspoon dried basil
1/4 + teaspoon dried majoram
1/2 + teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup brown rice
extra Tabasco to shake on at the table
Saute onions and red peppers in a Dutch oven for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients (I was heavy on the spices but not enough to increase the amounts listed here. Next time I would add even more.) expect for the parsley and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and mix in the parsley and rice. Cover and simmer about 35 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add more liquid if necessary to make sure that the rice cooks.
Saute onions and red peppers in a Dutch oven for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients (I was heavy on the spices but not enough to increase the amounts listed here. Next time I would add even more.) expect for the parsley and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and mix in the parsley and rice. Cover and simmer about 35 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add more liquid if necessary to make sure that the rice cooks.
