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
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. shrimp, cleaned with tails removed
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbs oregano (dried)
- 1 tsp thyme (dried)
- 1/4 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced into rounds (Chicken andouille works well if you can find it)
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 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.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 244 Total Fat 11g Saturated Fat 4g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 6g Cholesterol 102mg Sodium 866mg Carbohydrates 18g Fiber 3g Sugar 5g Protein 17g
Lev Mirman says
06/04 at 6:34 pmThanks for the recipe. My only question is, brown rice cooks a lot longer than 20 minutes. If by brown you mean Basmati, then it will work.
Lauren Keating says
06/06 at 7:13 pmI use quick cooking brown rice (like Minute rice) which is ready in 10-15 minutes.
Kimber says
01/13 at 8:22 pmThis recipe is awesome. It’s spicy but so flavorful!
Lauren Keating says
01/13 at 8:41 pmI’m so happy you liked it! It’s one of my faovrites, too. (We like things pretty spicy around here!)
Jeri says
11/14 at 4:00 pmI 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 🙂
sharon says
02/04 at 5:56 pmHuh, 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
Rich says
01/12 at 9:16 amThe 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.
Joe Wojtuniak says
09/27 at 1:22 pmI love the recipe…..but it looks a little dry…any recommendations to have it more like a stew with liquids?
Thanks
Melissa says
08/07 at 10:20 pmMade 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 🙂
Christy says
08/01 at 8:06 pmWow 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!
Kaitlin With Honey says
07/30 at 4:24 pmThis looks REALLY good – I love all the fresh ingredients! Yum!
Bonnie says
07/28 at 9:03 pmI 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.
Brie says
07/28 at 5:26 pmfabulous 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!
Alex@amoderatelife says
07/28 at 2:00 amHi Lauren, I am so laughing at the beginning of your post because I too vaguely remember eating “convenience” foods and tonight it came up because both my kids were out for dinner and I needed something quick. My husband said, lets get a frozen pizza and I said, No lets make a pastured egg omlette instead! The former made me feel yucky, the latter made me feel divine! 🙂 This jambalaya looks like it would also make me feel divine! Thanks so much for sharing the real food love on the two for tuesday recipe blog hop! alex@amoderatelife
torviewtoronto says
07/27 at 10:49 pmLooks healthy and delicious
Kim says
07/27 at 9:48 pmThe cajun jambalya looks wonderful- all kinds of wonderful flavors and colors in this one!
I have small children and find that I still get roped into buying packaged foods. I try to eliminate them, but it doesn’t always work.
butterpoweredbike says
07/27 at 2:11 pmEggs are my convenience food – they cook up in a flash, and pair with everything.
Those okra bits look so tempting. Thanks for bringing your recipe to Two for Tuesday.
girlichef says
07/27 at 1:02 pmWow! Beautiful jambalaya…and WAAAAAAY better than the convenience stuff in a box. The sausage, the shrimp, the okra…oh man, I could go for a bowl right now! I used to eat the same way back in college…isn’t it funny how we thought it was “healthy”!? Live and learn, huh? Good thing we know a little better now 😉 Thanks for sharing with Two for Tuesdays!!
Year on the Grill says
07/27 at 12:50 pmFound your site via the 2-4-2sDay postings. I love Cajun food, your photo is up there with any… almost food porn!
Love how you have bites of meat edge to edge. Magazine quality for sure!
Baking Barrister says
07/26 at 5:22 pmThat looks really great. I’ve always shied away from jambalaya because it has so many ingredients I don’t stock, but I have pretty much all of these, which makes it better.
As for convenience foods, it depends. I don’t eat frozen meals or those out of a box (unless it’s Mac n’ Cheese, but that is rare and a guilty pleasure). I’ll buy pasta sauce, but also make my own, including pesto. Of course I buy condiments–but I don’t consider those convenience foods. I’ve been making my own dressing lately, though. As for marinades, I make all of my own from spices, herbs, soy sauce, juice, etc. I also make a lot. And I buy snacks like crackers and corn chips. There are some things it makes no sense to make at home if you can find them without the chemicals & salt.
But, aside from mac n cheese when I CRAVE it, I definitely do not replace my meals with other things. This has a lot to do with the fact that I think frozen vegetables are gross. But when it comes down to it, I could probably make a decent meal in 15 minutes out of the stuff I have on hand. Shrimp defrosts and cooks in the time it takes to make pasta. Throw in those florets of broccoli into the water about a minute before your pasta is done. Drain. Toss with some cheese. Real food.
cristie says
07/26 at 4:57 pmI remember a time when I was young that the “cake mix” was new! Yes, I have used convenience foods in the past, but so happy to report that I am a preservitive free cook now and ever so much better off because of it.
Juliana says
07/26 at 4:55 pmI love one pot meal, specially the ones like this, with lots and lots of ingredients…YUMMIE!
Kelly @ EvilShenanigans says
07/26 at 4:50 pmI remember some pretty spectacular kitchen disasters when I was younger. I am so glad I took the time to learn how to cook. It is really a passion now! Your jambalaya looks very tasty! Great pics, too!
Joanne says
07/25 at 10:33 pmWhen I first starting cooking, I definitely relied on things like storebought marinades, dressings, and sauces FREQUENTLY. And to think I called myself a home cook! Now I actually can’t think of a single processed food that I own. If I can’t make it myself, I refuse to buy it.
I love your homemade jambalaya! The sausage has me drooling….I’ve definitely been craving it lately.
Unplanned Cooking says
07/25 at 10:05 pmI was the worst eater in college. I really didn’t clean up my act until I had kids.