Jambalaya!

We all go through phases. And I went through one several years back where I tried to give up processed sugar, meat, and dairy.

It didn’t go so well.

I can do without meat most days, and I never felt better in my life than when my processed sugar intake was virtually zero (I did miss Coke and chocolate, though!), but even though I’m not a milk-drinker, giving up dairy was hard. And so after almost a year, I gave up giving it up.

That sounded better in my head.

Even though I didn’t stick to the no sugar, no meat, no dairy thing, I think it made me more aware of what I was eating and how it affected my health. Also, it was a great reminder that dinner does not necessarily equal meat.

During that time, Husband suffered supported me as I began to cook without meat or dairy at home. I found lots of recipes from all different kinds of places. Some that turned out well and we still eat, others…not so much.

One of the keepers that I made again the other night was Vegetable Jambalaya. I haven’t made it in a long while. And even though it probably wouldn’t pass for “real” Jambalaya in Louisiana, it was good, easy and different than what we’ve been eating. I’ve had a few requests for the recipe, so I thought I’d just share it here. There aren’t any pictures because I didn’t plan on posting this and if I took a picture of the leftovers in the container in the fridge, it would probably not live up to the most awesome photography skillz you’re used to seeing here. (Hopefully you can hear the sarcasm. Because it’s there.)

I’m listing the recipe as-is, then telling you what I do with it. Enjoy!

Vegetable Jambalaya

1 Tbsp oil

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 c. uncooked brown rice

14 oz vegetable broth

1 c. frozen corn

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp ground cayenne

1 can black eyed peas, rinsed & drained

1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained

Heat oil in skillet. Cook onion, bell pepper and garlic 3-5 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Stir in rice, cook 2-3 minutes until rice is light golden brown.

Stir in broth. Heat to boiling; reduce heat, cover & simmer 15 minutes.

Stir in corn, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, black eyed peas, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer 5-10 minutes or until vegetables and rice are tender.

*I use minced garlic from a jar. Life’s too short to chop garlic all the time.

*I ended up adding extra vegetable broth because, at least on my stovetop, it took way longer than these instructions said to get the rice tender. You could use cooked rice I suppose, but it probably wouldn’t brown the same. If you use instant brown rice, these instructions would probably be perfect. I ended up cooking mine for a good 45 minutes after the rice was added to get the it done.