Hot Jambalaya!


 [It's not actually that hot, but I say it in Mrs. Doubtfire's voice.]

I've been visiting a new Paleo recipe site and this was one of the first recipes I tried. Given that it had snowed and not warmed up above about 45 for almost a week, I was looking for warm comfort food! This was extremely easy and very tasty.

PaleOMG dot com is the site and you really need to get out there if you're looking for recipes. The specific link to this one is http://paleomg.com/jambalaya/.

The recipe is straightforward: andouille sausage, chicken breast, onion, green pepper, cauliflower, spices, tomatoes, and chicken stock. You can also use shrimp for more authentic jambalaya, but I didn't want to clean it that night. Maybe next time.

Anyway, the link gives the specific recipe, but here are a few notes from me.
1. I used a bit more (maybe 1/2 cup) chicken stock than the recipe called for. Since the exact amount of meat isn't specified (2 breasts -- is that a pound?), I just thought it needed a little more. It was definitely not too much liquid.

2. If you haven't started using cauliflower in place of rice, you've really got to try it. This goes for whether you're eating Paleo or not -- anyone looking to reduce carbs/increase veggie intake should try it. It saves Weight Watcher points and bulks up food just like rice would. You just run it through a food processor using the grating blade and you have riced cauliflower.

3. I was not completely sure if I was supposed to pre-cook the chicken before adding it early in the process. Answer: It cooks quickly and thoroughly in the 15-20 minutes called for in the recipe.

4. This makes a LOT of jambalaya, or it did for me. It was a large head of cauliflower, and I used a full pound of chicken. We easily got 6 healthy portions out of it. I wouldn't want to keep it more than two days in the fridge -- cauliflower may be fine to eat, but it starts to smell funny after a couple of days. Or that could just be me.

When I make this again, I'm sure I'll use shrimp, probably for 1/2 the chicken. It doesn't take long from start to finish - maybe 45 minutes including getting everything chopped at the beginning. I love andouille sausage and almost always have some in the fridge, so having another way to use it is awesome.

Give it a shot. Next time I make it, I'll take a few pictures.

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