Meatless Monday with Creole-Style Vegetarian Jambalaya

Happy Meatless Monday!  As you may or may not know, Miratel supports the Meatless Monday campaign which is a non-profit initiative in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  The purpose of the program is to reduce the consumption of animal products in favour of a plant-based diet to fight global warming and improve our personal health.  This week we bring a Louisiana Creole dish made vegetarian for you to try. 

Feel free to play with this recipe and make it your own as Jambalaya is meant to be made that way.  You can also omit the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste to make it Cajun style.  Serve with a side salad.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups yellow onions, small dice
1 cup red onion, small dice
1 cup bell pepper, small dice
1 cup celery, small dice
2 cups eggplants, small, diced
1 cup yellow squash, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons shallots, chopped
3 cups tomatoes, chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper or to taste
1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste or omit if you don’t like heat
2-4 teaspoons creole seasoning or to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 bay leaves
4 cups long grain rice for best results and 4 cups of brown rice for best health
1 cup tomato paste
8 cups vegetable stock
1 cup green onion, chopped

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, shallots, celery, bell peppers and garlic and saute until tender (about 5 minutes).  Add the eggplant, squash, and zucchini and saute until (about other 5 minutes or so).  Add the chopped tomatoes.  Season with salt, Creole seasoning, and additional cayenne, if desired.  Add the bay leaves and then add the rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.  Heat the tomato paste in a non-stick pan and stir, making sure it doesn’t stick or burn, until the sugars in the paste begin to caramelize, and the paste begins to turn a deep mahogany color.  Deglaze with some of the vegetable stock, stir and combine thoroughly. Add the tomato paste to the rest of the vegetable stock and stir until well-blended. Add the vegetable stock/tomato mixture to vegetables, stir and cover. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. 

Do not stir the jambalaya while it’s cooking.  Remove from heat and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Add the green onions and mix thoroughly.  Serve with a salad.

If you haven’t already, join the movement by signing up online at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/.   Every week you have another opportunity to jump on board.  So join us and enjoy!

Thanks to Miss Annie for this great vegetarian take on a classic dish.