Friday, January 25, 2008

Quick Creole Jambalaya

Here is an old recipe I dug out. It's super quick, got rave reviews when I made it this past week, cheap, freezable and healthy. Only 5 points per serving!
Jambalaya is just a Louisiana version of the Spanish Paella. You can add whatever meat you want. I used ground Pork but you can use ground chicken or turkey, boneless turkey, pork or chicken. I will add in a diced chorizo sausage, just one adds a nice flavour. You can add seafood like shrimp or scallops at the end to make it more authentic. But it's awesome just as the recipe says below. Authentic versions from Louisiana might have alligator, turtle or boar in it... Yeah, I dare ya.... tastes like chicken I hear.



Ingredients
  • 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 lb lean ground pork
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 ½ tbsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • ½ red pepper, chopped
  • 28 oz/796ml can diced no salt added tomatoes
  • 3 cups cooked long grain rice
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp Tabasco sauce (optional)

Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat.
  2. Brown the pork and onions
  3. Add the garlic, curry, thyme, Cajun seasoning and peppers and brown.
  4. Mix in the tomatoes, rice and broth
  5. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes
  6. Taste and add Tabasco sauce if a hotter dish is desired.
I used cooked rice since I make a big batch at once and freeze it in 1 -2 cup containers. But you can use raw rice and simmer it in the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Just add equal amounts of broth and rice (about 1 ½ cup each), simmer it for as long as the rice package instructions say and keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Add more broth if needed.

Nutrition Information based on 6 servings:
Calories 262, Calories from Fat 54; Total Fat 6g, Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 46mg; Sodium 120mg; Carbohydrates 32g; Fiber 3g; Sugars 5g; Protein 20g; 5 Points.

The Good
This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Manganese and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin C and Thiamin.

The Bad
There is nothing bad to report!

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