Cuisine: American/Southern (Creole)
Meal: Lunch or Dinner
Style: Vegan Main Entrée
Yield: 20 servings
Jambalaya is traditionally made with meats such as chicken, andouille sausage and seafood. It is completed by adding vegetables, stock and rice. It is also a close cousin to the saffron colored paella found in Spanish culture. Creating a vegetarian version is simply by substituting the meat with variations of hearty vegetables or meat substitutes. Suitable substitutes for the meat would be seitan, garden crumbles, creole seasoned tofu crumbles, eggplant and mushrooms.
Ingredients
Olive Oil 1 cup
Yellow onion, small dice 2 ea
Red onion, small dice 1 ea
Green bell pepper, small dice 3 ea
Celery, small dice ½ head
Medium eggplant, small dice 4 ea
Garden crumbles 3 cups
Yellow squash, small dice 2 ea
Green zucchini, small dice 2 ea
Garlic, minced 1 oz
Shallots, minced 2 oz
Salt and freshly ground black pepper To taste
Creole seasoning ¼ cup (to taste)
Dried thyme 1 tsp
Bay leaves 4 ea
Long grain rice, uncooked 2 pts
Tomato paste 2 cup
Vegetable stock 2 qts
Geen onion, chopped 1 bunch
Method
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 garden crumble, eggplant, squash, and zucchini, and saute until they're tender, about other 5 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt, Creole seasoning, and additional cayenne, if desired. Add the bay leaves. 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.
