Jambalaya

This week I decided to take my first stab at making jambalaya. Brian and I ate it on our honeymoon and  I remember how much he loved it. I have always meant to make it but never got around to it. When I started my monthly meal planning I made sure to get it on the list. I decided to wing it and cater it to our taste and overall it was a success.

First Stab Jambalaya

• 1 lb Crumbled Sausage (I used original Jimmy Dean... didn't want too much heat)
• 1 lb Pre-Cooked Rotisserie Chicken, chopped. 
• 12 ounces shrimp cooked in Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 each red, green and yellow pepper, diced. 
• 1 yellow onion, diced. 
• 1 large garden tomato, diced OR 1 can diced tomato with juice
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 Box Yellow Rice, cooked. I used Zatarain's. 
• 1 tsp tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 small can of chicken broth
• Creole seasoning (I remember loving Emeril's so I used his recipe. I did tweak the measurements though):
• 1 TB paprika
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Onion Salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme

1. In a skillet cook the sausage until brown. Set aside. 
2. In same skillet heat olive oil and saute peppers and onions until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.                   
3. If you use a garden tomato you will want to core, skin and dice it. Then add it to the peppers and onions. Otherwise simply add the canned tomatoes with juice. 
4. At this point I used my microwave to cook the rice. In a container I combined the sausage and chicken. (I held off on the shrimp until I was ready to serve) Once the rice was done I combined it with the veggies and put it all in the fridge.  I like to do as much prep as I can ahead of time and be ready to go at dinner time. (5 o'clock in my house can be painful!)
5. When I was ready to prep dinner I pulled my mixture out of the fridge and put it in the biggest skillet I have. At the same time I boiled the shrimp in old bay and after they pinked up I strained them and threw them in the mix. 
6. In a bowl I mixed the broth, worcestershire, tabasco and creole seasoning. Whisk it together and pour over rice mix. Cook the mixture for about 10-15 minutes at medium heat until all of the liquid is absorbed.                                     
7. Enjoy! (You could make it extra beautiful and garnish with extra tomato, fresh oregano or parsley on top.)