Jambalaya

I do not profess to be familiar with Cajun cooking, but this is easy and really good! We like the combination of chicken, smoked sausage, and shrimp.  Other variations add smoked ham in place of the shrimp.  Use the ones you like or have on hand.  Brown rice is not typical for Jambalaya, but it does work.  This recipe is for two hungry people.

Gather up the ingredients and let's get cooking!

1 smoked chicken sausage 1/4" slices

1 skinless boneless chicken breast cubed

4 large shrimp ("shrimps" if you are cajun :)

2 tsp. creole seasoning

1 C chopped onion

1 C chopped green pepper

1 C sliced celery

1 8oz can tomatoes

1/2 C chicken broth

1 C pre-cooked brown rice

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet.  

Add the cubed chicken and cook until the pink disappears.

Add the smoked chicken sausage, stir and cook until the sausage is browned.

Note:  don't add the shrimp until later in the recipe,

otherwise it overcooks--not good.

Now add the onion, green pepper, celery, and creole seasoning.

Stir this up and cook until the veg are almost tender.

Add the chopped tomatoes, mix it all up.

Add the brown rice.

Add the shrimp and 1/2 cup chicken broth, bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Time to serve up the Jambalaya!

yum, Yum, and YUM.  

This is a meal on its own, but serve with a slice of crusty baguette if you like.

Enjoy friends!

Not Your Ordinary Fried Rice

Usually at the Chinese restaurants, in my experience, there is a plate of rice with some peas and seasonings, a trace of scrambled egg, and it is called "fried rice". This is my version and hearty enough for dinner.

Gather up the players. Sliced celery and carrots, diced onion, scrambled egg, shredded cabbage, steamed peas, brown rice (pre-cooked) and some left over cubed steak -- chicken, pork, or shrimp can also be used.

Heat up some oil in the skillet, add the celery, carrots, and onions. Stir fry until veggies are tender crisp.

Next add in the cooked meat of your choice to brown and warm up.

Shredded cabbage goes in next.

Next comes the steamed peas, scrambled eggs, and the pre-cooked brown rice.

Mix it all up and let the flavors combine; everything gets warmed up. Then gather the ingredients for the sauce. Use equal parts of soy sauce and oyster sauce, add a splash of sesame oil and a dash of hot sauce to your liking.

Add the sauce slowly and stir, don't add too much sauce, just enough to lightly cover all the ingredients. yum, Yum, and YUM.

Tonight we also had mini egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce and hot mustard on the side. Get your chop sticks and get busy eating. Enjoy friends!

Homestyle Spanish Rice

I like to make this with brown rice.  Makes it healthier!  And we like lots of veggies in there as well.

Get the ingredients ready.  Celery, jalapeno, tomato, and onion.  Also salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro.  Garlic would be another option.

Dice all those vegies.  Try to make the dice about the same sizes so they cook more evenly.

Add a little oil to the sauce pan, put in the diced veggies and seasonings -- salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro to taste.  Go easy, you can alway add more, but it's impossible to take out.  Stir until everything is mixed together.

The brown rice has been par boiled since it takes a lot longer to cook that regular white rice.  This is about one cup of rice.

Add the rice to the veggie mixture along with a splash of beef broth.  Stir it all together, put the lid on the saucepan and let it steam on medium heat until veggies are tender and rice is fully cooked.

Dish it up and enjoy.  We are having chicken enchiladas tonight with the homestyle spanish rice on the side.