Vegetarian Jambalaya

Since tomorrow is Mardi Gras, I made a New Orleans inspired dish -- Jambalaya. This usually has meat in it, so I adjusted to make it vegetarian, I think it was just as good, if not better. I got some of the basic ideas for this recipe from this website. I thought about using cajun seasoning rather than the seasonings listed, but the ingredients listed on the cajun spice I had were mostly just a mix of cayenne and paprika. The spice combination I used gave it a good flavor.

Check out our Mardi Gras dessert, Mini King Cakes, and check back tomorrow for a great Mardi Gras cocktail.

This made about 4 servings.

Ingredients:

-1 Tbsp olive oil

-1/2 cup celery, chopped

-4 oz can green chilies

-2 cloves garlic

-1/2 Tbsp paprika
-1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper

-1/2 Tbsp chili powder

-15 oz can vegetable broth

-1/2 cups rice

-15 oz can diced tomatoes

-1/2 cup water

Heat olive oil.  Add the celery, chilies, garlic and spices.
Saute for about 5 minutes.

Add the rice and vegetable broth.
Simmer with the lid on for 10-15 minutes.

The rice absorbed all of the liquid in mine pretty fast.

Add the tomato and the liquid it come in.
I added some more water because the liquid was absorbed  before the rice was cooked.
You can add more vegetable broth if you want.

I'm not sure this was really close to traditional jambalaya, but it was good regardless. With the amount of spice I was pouring into the pot, I was afraid it would be pretty spicy, but it really wasn't, so don't be afraid to add more.