Kay Nimitz Smith -- Writer, Mom, Goddess in Training: Granini's Jambalaya

Hello all! I'm back from our amazing Alaska adventure, and I have about a gajillion things to do before the summer is over and I head back to work, writing my second murder mystery novel.

So I'm going to make the best of the rest of my summer vacation, and start posting a few more recipe favorites!!

I'd like to thank gimmesomeoven for their original recipe. I've changed the recipe a bit to accommodate our family's inability to eat overly spicy foods. hahaha. If you want the super spicy version, simply follow their recipe!!

*So a wee bit of a note here, we have a vegetarian in our family (gasp!), and frequently I make recipes that can be easily adaptable to accommodate both the vegetarians and the carnivores in our clan. This is a favorite dish that meets both the vegetarian's needs and the carnivores' needs with extremely little effort to accommodate both. If you're not a vegetarian and want the full carnivore experience, you can simply start with the chicken getting that all sautéed up, and then go on to add in the onions, peppers, and so on. Just leave the sausage for the last few minutes, and only pop the shrimp in at the VERY VERY last bit. If you're a vegetarian, or don't need the full carnivore experience, simply skip the meats all together.*

**And a second note, some people like okra and will add that too.

I am not one of those people.

Just sayin'.**

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow or orange pepper, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 can (14 oz.) of diced or crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups of white rice

1 qt chicken broth (I use Trader Joe's box o'chicken broth. But you can use 3 cans of chicken broth if you aren't lucky enough to have a TJ's near you.)

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon thyme

2 teaspoons Creole cajun spices

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Carnivores:

If you're not a vegetarian and want the full meat experience, you can also add in the following:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 chicken breast, cut into small bite-sized pieces

2 cups of diced spiced sausage (I used andouille sausage, also from Trader Joe's)

2 cups of shrimp (with shells removed and deveined, obvs.)

Directions:

Cut your veggies. Add your olive oil to a large saucepan, and saute your veggies until tender, but not mushy.
Add in tomatoes, rice, and chicken broth. Stir.
Add in spices.
Cover and simmer for 25 mins or so, stirring VERY often to prevent the bottom from getting crusty.
While your yummy goodness is simmering, you can heat up the optional meats.
In a separate saucepan, heat up the oil. Add chicken and cook that up right nice until the edges are lightly browned and the insides are no longer pink. Lightly sprinkle with creole spices. Place the chicken in a medium bowl.
Add the sausage to the saucepan and heat completely. At the last minute, pop in your shrimp and cook for about a minute or so, or until they are pink. Add all the meats together into the bowl.
After you've ladled out a heaping serving for your vegetarian friends and family, add in the meats to the rest of the jambalaya, and stir completely, allowing the flavors of the meats to mix with the flavors of the creole spices and jambalaya goodness. Serve while piping hot and devour!!!

Enjoy!!