Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

I haven't made Jambalaya for ages and I had a craving for it today, so, guess what we had for dinner?  I wanted to make a spicy Cajun jambalaya that doesn't contain the tomatoes used in the Creole version. I had all of the major ingredients for a vegan version at hand. In Cajun jambalaya, protein and vegetables are cooked separately from the rice, which is cooked in a savory stock. The rice is added to the protein and vegetables before serving. It's called a  "white jambalaya." (We could call this one a "brown Jambalaya", since it's made with brown rice.)  This version works best with brown rice, in my opinion, because the brown rice needs a longer cooking time and if you cook everything together, it might get a bit soggy.

In any case, it worked well, we loved it, devoured it, and were very happy that there is enough left for lunch tomorrow.

NOTE: This dish is easy and fast to put together just before you eat if you treat it  as you would a Chinese stir-fry-- which means, have all of the ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking. For convenience, you can cook the rice the day before or earlier in the day, if you wish.


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CAJUN-STYLE WHOLEGRAIN VEGAN JAMBALAYA
Servings: 5
NOTE: If you can't find Cajun Spice Mix/Seasoning, there are many recipes online for making your own.

1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice (preferably Basmati or jasmine)
2 1/4 cups vegan chicken-style broth (I like Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan Broth base)
1  Tbsp dark sesame oil
1 vegan chorizo-style sausage (such as Field Roast Chipotle), crumbled
1 mildly spicy vegan sausage (such as Tofurky Andouille or Italian, or Field Roast Italian), thinly sliced
1/2 cup vegan "ham", diced small
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped (or use 1/2 a green pepper and 1/2 a red bell pepper)
1/2 cup celery, chopped, with leaves
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Cajun Seasoning/Spice Mix
3/4 cup vegan chicken-style broth (I like Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan Broth base)
1 cup shredded or thinly-sliced vegan chicken substitute, such as reconstituted Butler Soy Curls, or vegan chicken-style strips, or vegan "chikn brest"
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 green onions, whites and tops, chopped

Bring the brown rice and 2 1/4 cups broth to a boil in a medium pot.  Turn down to Low, cover and cook for 45 minutes. OR, to cook the rice in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 22 minutes and use natural pressure release.  Set aside. PS: You can make the rice earlier in the day, if it's more convenient.

Prepare all of the other ingredients before you start assembling the dish.




In a large heavy skillet, or flat-bottomed wok/stir-fry pan, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat.  Add the crumbled "chorizo" sausage and stir-fry for a few minutes.


Add the vegan "ham", chopped onions, green pepper, celery, garlic and Cajun or Creole seasoning.  Stir-fry until the onion has softened a bit, raising the heat as needed, adding a squirt or two of water if necessary to loosen any stuck bits, and keeping the mixture moving.


Add the cooked rice, the remaining 3/4 cup broth, shredded chicken sub, bay leaf, and thyme. Stir well to mix. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, stir in the green onions.  Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 467 calories, 91 calories from fat, 10.2g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1153.9mg sodium, 596.6mg potassium, 59.9g carbohydrates, 7.6g fiber, 6g sugar, 36.3g protein, 12.7 points.



Enjoy!

Spice Island Vegan told me about tasting the Gardein "Chick'n Breast" in a vegan restaurant in southern California and thought they were very good, so I couldn't resist when I saw them in my local health food store. I also bought the "Veggie Chick'n Strips". They aren't cheap, but not unduly expensive for two good servings (up to 4-5 servings for the strips if you mix them with other foods). UPDATE April 2017-- Gardein has been bought out my an American company and now we in Canada can only buy a very few of their products.

The "breasts" come already in a light sauce-- I got the Dijon mustard one. I saved it for a night when I was exhausted from working on the newsletter (I have had the computer week from hell!!-- corrupted files, disappearing uploads, internet service down....). I Just heated them in the microwave while I made a salad and cooked some orzo in veggie broth with mushrooms, green onions and choppped peppers (I cook it like rice, 1 part orzo to 2 parts broth for 15 minutes.)

The texture is pretty amazing! (Aside from the usual wheat gluten and soy protein, it contains pea protein, and carrot and beet fiber.) The sauce was very light, nothing exciting. If I buy this again, which I may or may not, I will rinse off the sauce and make my own. But we enjoyed it with the orzo.

Last night I used the strips (see alternatives in the recipe list) to try an interesting-sounding Palestinian recipe called "Chicken Fatteh" (I'm in a Middle Eastern cooking mode just now). "Fatteh" means that the recipe has fried bits of pita bread in it-- it can be a meat or a bean or a vegetable topping. I had some rather old pita in the freezer and thought I'd use some of it up in this and toast the reast for hummus dunkers.

So, here's the recipe:


Printable Recipe


BRYANNA'S VEGAN "CHICK'N STRIPS" FATTEH
Servings: 5

I used white basmati rice because I was in a hurry-- cooked 15 minutes in 1 1/2 cups water with a little salt. You could use brown basmati if you have more time (45 minutes). This sounds odd, but it was nice and garlicky, but comforting at the same time. I might add more herbs next time. My husband loved it! The crunchy pita was good.

1 large wholewheat pita bread, cut in little squares
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup (dry) basmati rice, cooked (see recipe text above)
1 cup vegetarian "chicken-style" broth
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 Tbs olive oil
200 g vegan "chicken" strips OR use about 2 cups reconstituted Soy Curls (2 oz. dry) (NOTE: read more about Butler Foods Soy Curls™  here.)
1 pinch nutmeg
freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups tofu sour creme (can be commercial or homemade)
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
Garnish:
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or chopped cashews
fresh parsley or mint, or dried mint

Heat oven to 400°F.

Heat the first 1/2 Tbs of oil in a nonstick skillet and fry the pieces of pita until golden.



Place in a 10" round casserole. Pour 1/2 the broth over the bread, and add 1/4 of the cooked rice and the one clove of garlic. Mix well.



Heat the second Tbs of oil in the skillet and brown the strips in it, adding some broth to keep from sticking. Add the nutmeg and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Spread the rest of the rice over the pita mixture and drizzle the remaing broth over it. Mix the 2 cloves crushed garlic with the Tofu Sour Creme and spread that over the rice.

Top with the Chick'n Strips.

Cover and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, just to heat. Garnish.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 320.9 calories; 25% calories from fat; 9.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 483.3mg sodium; 440.4mg potassium; 38.7g carbohydrates; 1.3g fiber; 2.4g sugar; 37.4g net carbs; 21.4g protein; 7.0 points.

Enjoy!