Rosie's Speedy Jambalaya

Here is another recipe I made a few days ago because I craved a spicy, jambalaya. I got home from class at 5:40 a few days ago, so I needed a quick, throw together meal that tasted great. It has only a few ingredients so it whips up really fast and best of all, it didn't get my husband's "Who Hash" moniker - something he calls a dish that I make up and throw together and is usually a mish-mash of leftovers. (I think this word should be added to the new Webster's dictionary).

For this, I used the most-used appliance in my house; my Wolfgang Puck rice cooker, that I got from The Shopping Channel here in Canada. I use it a couple times/week and it NEVER lets me down - perfect rice every time and best of all, no burnt, warped, destroyed saucepan that someone forgot to turn off after the rice boiled dry. You just add the rice, water, seasonings, oil and push a button and forget about it for about 20 minutes. My kind of wonderful!

You can make all kinds of things in this rice cooker like macaroni and cheese etc. It is a real timesaver. The only bad thing is that I do not have a proper storage place for it (my kitchen is tiny) so I have to store it under the bench seat of the banquette in our eating nook. When I need to use it, I have to climb on all hands and knees under my kitchen table to retrieve it from it's hiding place. Oy veh!

Here is the recipe:

Rosie's Speedy Jambalaya

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1 package Uncle Ben's Spanish style rice.  (it has a lot of great flavour)

1 can of red kidney beans - rinsed and drained

1 can mixed peas and carrots - drained

6 mild Italian sausages - uncooked

1-2 tsp. olive oil

That's it!!!!

I have made my own jambalaya in the past using plain rice and adding my own seasonings like paprika and garlic and onion powders and while that turned out very good too, this has just a bit more of intense flavour and is very good and so easy.

Place the Italian sausages into a saucepan of water and boil for 15-20 minutes. This will cook the sausage as well as remove some of the fat. At the same time, prepare the rice in your rice cooker per package directions. I added a bit of olive oil to the rice and water and also the can of kidney beans, to soften and cook them. I made the whole package of rice as I made a large batch of jambalaya.  (Have I told you I love leftovers?) 

The rice and sausages should be ready at about the same time. Once the sausages are cooked, remove them from the water and slice them into bite size pieces. In a large skillet, brown the sausage until just golden. (No need to add oil to the skillet as the sausages are greasy enough). Once browned, add the cooked rice and the can of peas/carrots to the skillet. Mix all together and you are good to go. A little sprinkle of Sriracha sauce in your bowl, turns this dish up a notch. (My son's favourite condiment for the moment)

Side note: I never usually buy canned peas and carrots - usually fresh or frozen. I just happened to have them in my pantry as I was planning to make a lot of  easily digestible soups for my husband since he recently had his gallbladder removed. It turns out I didn't need to do that - he is back to eating like he's still got the gallbladder of a teenager (burgers/fries).  I didn't need them after all so decided to use them in this dish.  Since they are already cooked, just warming them in the skillet with the rice, was enough. There you have it. A fast, easy, delicious meal in about 20 minutes. I pride myself on trying to get dinner on the table by 6:00 regardless of how I do it!!!!

(Even if that means take-out, sandwiches or even cake. Yes, I have had cake for dinner. Don't judge me!)

Always,

Rosie