The other day, I was thinking about the way I used to eat. Back when I was in college and shortly after I graduated. Let’s just say it wasn’t very healthy or very delicious. Looking back, I think there was a period of time where I just completely forgot that I knew how to cook a decent meal. Plus, I couldn’t really be bothered. Like a lot of people, I had the misconception that cooking a real dinner out of real ingredients would be too expensive and take too much time. So we’d boil a box of pasta and mix it with a jar of sauce and some sausage. Or we’d try to be “healthy” and make a chicken stir-fry, but we would totally ruin it by using store-bought marinades that were loaded with sugar. For a special treat, we’d buy a box of zatarain’s mix and make jambalaya.
I don’t miss the other stuff at all, but I do kind of miss the jambalaya. And with Foodbuzz pledging to donate $25 to the Greater New Orleans Foundation (helping fishermen who were effected by the oil spill and their families) for every Gulf-Inspired post this weekend, it seemed like the perfect excuse to make it. Of course, I wasn’t going to resort to using a box – I know better than that now! (And a quick look at the back of the box confirmed my suspicions — 21% of your RDA of sodium? MSG? Sodium dioxide?? No thanks!) No, this jambalaya is 100% real food and 100% real flavor. Sure you have to spend a few minutes chopping vegetables, but other than that it really isn’t any more difficult or time consuming than the boxed stuff. And the final product is so much healthier and so much more delicious that there really isn’t any excuse to take “shortcuts”!
Cajun Jambalaya with Okra, Andouille and Shrimp
Print Pin SaveIngredients
- ½ lb. shrimp cleaned with tails removed
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbs oregano dried
- 1 tsp thyme dried
- ¼ lb. Andouille sausage sliced into rounds (Chicken andouille works well if you can find it)
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- ¼ cup chopped green pepper
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 plum tomatoes chopped
- 3 cups fat-free chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Tabasco sauce plus more to taste
- 1 cup quick cooking brown rice
- 1 cup okra sliced into rounds
- 2 tsp fresh basil chopped
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the shrimp, cayenne, oregano, and thyme. Toss to coat.
- Set a heavy pot over high heat and add the andouille. Cook for several minutes, until the andouille begins to brown and crisp on the outside edges. Add the onion, pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes to allow the vegetables to soften. Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaves and Tabasco.
- Slowly stir in the rice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp (along with any remaining seasonings from the bowl) and okra. Cook another 5-10 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through and the rice is tender.
- Stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with additional Tabasco so each diner can adjust the amount of spice to suit their taste.
I made this exactly as the recipe says and it was soooo SPICY it automatically caught my throat on fire. I had to add 3 cups of water and a lot of instant brown rice so my kids were able to eat it. Will make this again but not so spicy lol 🙂
Huh, where did I go wrong. I added the rice brought to a simmer then simmered the rice for ten minutes, then 10 minutes more, then 10 minutes more, it was still a tad crunchy. Great flavor though
The thing I love about foods like these is that many of them can be frozen and reheated. I’ll make a big batch and portion it out into microwavable sandwich containers. It’s so nice to have a healthy, hot lunch. And it’s usually cheaper and always better than most prepackaged frozen lunches.
I love the recipe…..but it looks a little dry…any recommendations to have it more like a stew with liquids?
Thanks
Made this for dinner last week. SO good!
Thanks for the tip on chicken andouille. Turns out my supermarket makes a great one. It may be my new favorite thing 🙂
Wow that looks so good – it is amazing the difference between fresh and boxed – how did we ever get hoodwinked into thinking the boxed is better??? Thanks for linking to Two for Tuesday!
This looks REALLY good – I love all the fresh ingredients! Yum!
I love jambalaya. I first made it 20 years ago when my brother was living in New Orleans. So many possibilities for protein variations. It is the ultimate comfort food. Yours looks wonderful.
fabulous recipe – i love the authentic ingredients and the thickness of the jambalaya. i also wish sometimes i didn’t have to worry about budget before health, but i’ll get there one day!
Looks healthy and delicious