Easy Jambalaya

I mentioned Easy Jambalaya earlier in the week on my Two Week Meal Plan post.  Well, we tried it tonight and it was a big hit!  I did change some of the things in the original recipe, of course, so I thought I'd better write it down so I don't forget.  I'll probably play around with it again in the future...trying different meats, etc.  So, here's the original recipe with my changes:

Easy Jambalaya

• 2 tablespoons butter  (I used 1 Tbsp)
• ½ pound of sausage (preferably andoullie) or bacon  (I used pre-prepared hamburger that was in the freezer)
• 1 large bell pepper, any color, in large dice
• 1 large onion, in large dice
• 3 ribs celery, in large dice
• 1 small head garlic, cloves peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (sold premixed or make some) (I used THIS recipe and *gasp* I used about 3 TABLESPOONS of the mix. We like lots of spice!)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (no need for extra salt and pepper)
• 2 large tomatoes chopped (or equivalent quantity of cherry tomatoes)
• 3/4 pound raw shrimp, peeled
• 2 bay leaves (I didn't have any, so I omitted. It would be good though.)
• 1.5 cups quick cooking brown rice (I don't have quick cooking rice, so I cooked my brown basmati rice in the rice cooker and added it.)
• 2 cups chicken stock/broth (if you don’t have any stock you could use water instead) (since I didn't cook my rice in the mix, I didn't need as much liquid. I just used enough chicken broth to get to the consistency I wanted...probably about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup water (I omitted)
• 1/2 pint shucked oysters, with their liquor (optional)  (NOPE!)
• Hot sauce, to taste (optional) (Neal and Beth used this, Ben and I didn't.)
• Green onions for garnish  (Oh Yes!)  And we also threw on a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

1. Combine the butter and sausage (or bacon) in a large soup pot over high heat. Cook for about 6 minutes stirring occasionally.
2. Add the bell pepper, onion, celery, garlic, Creole seasoning, salt and black pepper to taste. Saute over high heat for about 8 minutes, or until the veggies have browned and carmelized.
3. Add the tomatoes, shrimp, and bay leaves, and stir for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the rice, stir gently, then add the broth and water. Gently stir the rice again to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes (or until the rice is tender).
6. Turn off the heat and fold in the oysters (if using), cover, and let sit for about 8 minutes. If not using oysters you can skip this step altogether.
7. Garnish with green onions and serve.

This one will go on our meal rotation!  Yay!