One of my absolute favorite blogs is spabettie.com. Kristina makes the most creative dishes and photographs them beautifully. I was really pumped when she said she would take part in the Mighty Vegan Mardi Gras. Here is her recipe for Jambalaya which looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it!
Jason and I have a tradition – we meet my Dad for lunch almost every Sunday. One of our regular restaurants has a great jambalaya, and both Jason and my dad order it often. Jambalaya is one of those dishes I have been meaning to recreate at home, and when Julie asked me to come up with something for her Mardi Gras series, jambalaya was the first thing I thought of!
I chose my favorite Field Roast as the sausage, and used soy curls in place of chicken. I cooked the rice with tomato juice for extra flavor, and the jalapenos and spices bring a good amount of heat. Also? Your kitchen will smell wonderful when you make this.
Jason – my resident taste tester and jambalaya fan - loves this recipe. I hope you do too!
New Orleans jambalaya
serves six
2 tablespoons butter (Earth Balance soy free)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup brown rice
4 cups tomato juice
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
3-4 pieces okra, sliced
3 sausages, sliced (Field Roast Italian)
3/4 cup soy curls, rehydrated
pepper and sea salt to taste
hot sauce to taste*
Add soy curls to a bowl of warm water, set aside to rehydrate. Meanwhile, in large saucepan, sauté garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery and jalapeno in butter. When vegetables have softened, transfer to slow cooker, add rice, stir completely. Add 2 cups tomato juice, onion powder, oregano, paprika and cayenne, cook until rice absorbs juice (about one hour), stirring often. Add remaining tomato juice, tomatoes, okra, sausage and soy curls, salt and pepper to taste – continue to cook on low at least one more hour. Rice will become fluffier after this second hour.
*I added about 3 tablespoons hot sauce while cooking.
As always, I am honored to be asked to guest post, and I want to thank Julie for asking me, especially for a fun event like Mardi Gras!
Cheers, Kristina / spabettie
I make a similar jambalaya, without the soy curls! Thanks for this recipe, spabettie. I heart okra!
What a great idea – a vegan jambalaya!