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Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Jambayla


A week or so ago we had an abnormally cool day and night and I decided to forget about grilling as planned and make something inside. Unfortunately I had nothing thawed, except a package of sausage and a leftover chicken breast. 
For some reason, and I am not exactly sure where it came from, I decided to make jiffy Jambayla. It was unusual for a couple of reasons. I rarely make it ,and when I do I cook is long and slow. Desperate times and all that, huh?

So not only was I going to cook it fast, I had to make it keto using just what I had on hand. I knew I had onions, peppers, and celery on hand which is the beginning of anything Cajun. I had no shrimp, crawfish or crab, but knew I could easily make it without it. No green onions, fresh parsley or cilantro to top it? Details!
So what I finally came up with as a bastardized version of Jambayla, not as delicious as normal, but still a tasty very low carb dish that actually tasted pretty close to the real deal.


Faux Jambayla
1 green bell pepper cut into strips
1 red pepper cut into strips
1 small onion julienne cut
3 ribs celery chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound smoked sausage  cut into "coins"(would have used Andouille but I didn't have any)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup broth (I used chicken because it was already opened and in the fridge)
1 cooked chicken breast cut in pieces
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2  tablespoon cajun seasonings (I used Tony Catchere's, the amount is your personal preference)
cauliflower rice, or regular rice

Heat oil in a sauté pan then add the onion. Cook until it is slightly soft before adding the celery and the peppers. Next toss in the smoked sausage, stir and cook through. Quickly add the minced garlic and stir it around for about 30-45 seconds. The trick is to get it wilted without burning it. Then toss in the broth and continue stirring while adding the rest of the ingredients, except for the rice. Stir well and let it cook for a few minutes until everything is nice and bubbling.  Because TheHub does not do keto I split this the two of us and just put his on top of hot cooked rice, then I stirred my cauliflower rice into the pan. (because the caulirice was straight from the freezer)

I like something fresh on top of it, but as I mentioned earlier I had no green onions, parsley or cilantro. Instead I chopped some of the celery leaves and sprinkled it on top of mine. Taste 10, looks 3! When I do it again, I will have a combo of celery leaves and green onions to sprinkle over it.
This was pretty darn tasty and is something I will do again (with the addition of shrimp and a bay leaf ) Plus it is very easy to make to accommodate the two different ways of eating. It would have tasted better and more authentic with the addition of seafood but that is life isn't it?


If you like Jambayla and would like to make a small batch quickly, this might work for you, like it did for us.









 

26 comments:

  1. Sounds really good Anne, thanks for sharing the recipe for this quick and easy version! :)

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    1. I try to take some of my old recipes and change them a little to try and make them keto. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Either way, we eat!

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    2. You always seem to do a great job with it Anne!

      I knew there was something I wanted to tell you, just though of it so I popped back over. Have you heard of Factor75? They ship prepared keto meals. My son just tried their introductory offer and said the meals are really good. The introductory I think he said is five meal a week for three weeks for $60 with free shipping. I didn't know if it might be something you'd be interested in. Of course after the introductory offer the price goes up. The meal review is coming from a 23 year old, but a 23 year old who is a true foodie and definitely knows good food. It's Factor75.com if you want to check it out :)

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  2. I am not a fan of jambalaya, but congrats on making it quickly!

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    1. I like cajun foods of all kinds, so it worked for us. Making it in a snap was just a bonus.

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  3. Looks good! I may try it sometime. I've never made jambalaya. I rarely think of putting something to thaw. I just use the thaw function on the microwave. I used it to thaw chicken this evening for stir fry, zapped and ready to cook. Celie

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    1. I try different things all the time, but years ago I went through a pretty intense cajun phase so I made it often.

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  4. That looks and sounds delicious and easy too. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. It was so easy and really was good, but it would have tasted better over real rice!

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  5. I had jambalaya once and am not a fan, but it does sound delicious.

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    1. Like al foods, it is not for everyone. We like spicy, highly flavored foods.

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  6. I've never eaten jambalaya. In fact, I didn't know what it was until reading your post. You educated me.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I really like it as long as I have some sort of either zydeco or cajun music playing while eating it.

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  7. Replies
    1. Since covid I will no longer run to the store right before I am going to cook to pick up one or two things. Punting is my everyday cooking method now.

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  8. So "Jambalaya Surprise" then?

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  9. Ah, yes. The trio of Cajun cooking. I haven't had jambalya for along time, but, of course, it was a staple when we lived in New Orleans. I like the song you featured today. :)

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    1. The song just seemed appropriate. While I was making the Jambayla I was singing it.

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  10. As I can't eat shell fish but love the cajun flavors, this would suit me to a T. I need to figure out how to book mark this recipe. Also need to stock y spices better.

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    1. It was good and easy to make for both me and TheHub

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  11. It's jambalaya if you have the seafood in it and "jambayla" if you don't? :D I've been humming the song to myself all morning! (Can't sing because daughter is on a zoom call!)

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    1. Don't know but if I had used ham instead of sausage I could call it hambayla!

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