A great all-in-one-pot dinner.

Jambalaya

4 large cloves garlic
2 hot Italian turkey or chorizo sausages (about 10 oz / 300 g)
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) long-grain brown rice
2 tsp (10 mL) ground thyme
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cayenne, if your kids don’t like spicy add this after it is cooked
One 28 oz (796 mL) can diced tomatoes
2 cups (500 mL) lower-sodium chicken broth

1.    Mince the garlic and set aside.

2.    Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Wash your hands. Squeeze the sausage meat out of its casings and into the pot. (This is sort of fun and gross all at the same time.) Wash your hands again. Cook the sausage meat until browned, 3 to 5 minutes, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks. Don’t be worried if it sticks, you are going to be scraping up the browned bits when you add the tomatoes and broth.

3.    Add the onion and sauté until the onion starts turning a light golden colour, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, both peppers, and garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes.

4.    Add the rice, thyme, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the rice is well coated and the spices smell fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

5.    Stir in the tomatoes and broth, making sure you scrape up all the little browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Aside from adding fabulous flavour, this will prevent the rice from sticking while it’s cooking.

6.    Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the rice is tender, 55 to 60 minutes.
7.    Using a rice paddle (a shamoji) or a flat spoon,  scoop the rice from the bottom of the saucepan to the top to redistribute the moister rice at the bottom. I do 4 scooping turns; this way all the grains will have the same fluffy consistency. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let sit, covered, for 10 minutes.

(Store any leftovers in a resealable container in the fridge for up to 4 days.)

Per serving: 318 calories , 6.7 g total fat , 2.1 g saturated fat , 0 g trans fat , 512 mg sodium, 55.6 g carbohydrate , 6 g fibre, 8.3 g sugars, 16 g protein
Diabetes Food Choice Values per serving: 1 1/2 Carbohydrate , 1 1/2 Meat and Alternatives

From Healthy Starts Here! By: Mairlyn Smith
http://www.mairlynsmith.com/