Food Friday: 30 Minute Jambalaya

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a recipe post. I am happy to start back up recipe blogging with this deliciousness: 30 minute Jambalaya!  I modified this recipe from Robin Miller’s “Quick Fix Meals.”  It’s one of those books that claims to have a bunch of recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less – you know, the kind that actually take an hour or more the first time you make them.  Well, this recipe (once the prep work is done) actually does take only 30 minutes to make.  The prep work doesn’t take that long, but I would recommend prepping ahead if you are trying to make this on a weeknight with a toddler pulling on your apron. (Who am I kidding?  I don’t wear aprons!)  All kidding aside, I highly recommend this cook book – it has great tips for how to prep ahead for weeknight meals, as well as meal kit recipes and ideas for morphing one recipe into several different meals.  It's a great book for the working mom. (I'm sure it's great for stay at home moms, too.  They're just as strapped for time, but in a different way!)

Without further ado, here is the recipe as I made it:

Ingredients:

Jambalaya

1 cup rice

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can mild diced chile peppers

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2-3 breasts)

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp dried oregano

1 kielbasa type sausage

1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1.     Cook rice

2.     Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion, bell pepper, Chile peppers and garlic.  Cook about 3 minutes

3.     Add chicken, cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

4.     Add Cajun seasoning and oregano.  I don’t have Cajun seasoning, but I do have a Jamaican seasoning mix from Pampered Chef, so that’s what I used.  I was glad to finally have a recipe to use it in!

5.     Add sausage and shrimp, cook for 2 minutes.

6.     Add tomatoes and bay leaves, simmer about 3 minutes.

That’s it!  Serve the Jambalaya over rice and you’re done.  I received so many rave reviews from my family and friends about this recipe that I will definitely be adding it to my regular repertoire.  Most of the ingredients are things I tend to have around the house anyway – except the shrimp.  I’ll just have to remember to add it to my regular grocery list occasionally so that I can whip up this meal whenever I want.

For those who want the cost breakdown, here you go.  I’m using Amazon Fresh right now (because getting to the grocery store is ridiculously hard with a newborn), so the prices are probably a little higher than what I would pay at Ralphs.

1 cup rice	$0.30
2 tsp olive oil	$0.05
1/2 cup chopped onion	$0.30
1 green pepper, chopped	$1.00
2 cloves garlic, minced	$0.10
1 can mild diced chile peppers	$1.00
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2-3 breasts)	$3.00
1 tsp Cajun seasoning	$0.05
1 tsp dried oregano	$0.05
1 kielbasa type sausage	$3.40
1/2 lb medium shrimp, peled and deveined	$5.00
28 oz can diced tomatoes	$1.50
2 bay leaves	$0.05
	$15.80
6 servings:	$2.63/serving

If you are interested in buying the cookbook I used, here is the Amazon affiliate link:

Pancake Day! Savory Crepes

“Eggs, milk, and wheat.  That’s nutrition!”  All I could think of when I realized it was Pancake Day was Bill Cosby’s “chocolate cake for breakfast” routine.  I did the same mental gymnastics as he did; I made a list of the ingredients in crepes and realized, that unlike Bill Cosby’s routine, crepes would  actually fall within my new meal plan.  After all, the only ingredients in crepes are eggs, flour and milk . . . and then whatever else you want to add to them. 

When I lived in Bristol, England, there was a Dutch pancake house we used to go to – especially on Pancake Day (for those of you who don’t know, Pancake Day is also known as Mardi Gras, Carnival, Shrove Tuesday, etc. The tradition of eating pancakes arose from people using up their eggs, flour and milk in preparation for Lent.)  The first time I ever went to this pancake house in Bristol, my American mind was very confused.  I was expecting something like an IHOP, so when we sat down and I looked at the menu and they had savory pancakes, with things like spinach and chicken and cheese, I was very skeptical.  But when the “pancakes” were brought out from the kitchen, it turned out they were really crepes, crepes the size of your head, with tons of ooey gooey cheese.  So delicious!

Now that I am avoiding all sweets, I knew I couldn’t have American style pancakes for breakfast, so I thought for dinner I would try to re-create the savory crepes I remember so fondly from my days in England.  I hadn’t made crepes since high school French class!  Honestly, I had forgotten how easy they were to make.  I may just add this to my family recipe repertoire now.  We only had one misshap, where I dropped the plate I was intending to use to take my “finished product” shot, so you’ll have to make do with the “in progress” shot because Aaron and I were too busy sweeping up broken bits of plate and melted cheese from the floor to remember to take a picture.

Here’s the recipe I used:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 3 tbs melted butter
• whatever fillings you want (can be sweet or savory)

1. Whisk together the eggs, flour and ½ cup of the milk until smooth.  Then slowly add the rest of the milk until the consistency of the batter is like heavy cream. 
2. Once the batter is smooth, with no lumps, put the bowl in the fridge while you prep everything else (cut up whatever fillings you want, melt the butter, etc.). 
3. Heat a 9 inch non-stick skillet, coated with a tiny bit of butter, over medium heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles when dropped on it.
4. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto the skillet and then pick up the skillet to swirl the batter around to make it coat the pan thinly and evenly.  Cook until the edges turn slightly brown and then flip.  Once you get going, this should only take about 15 seconds per side (the first couple crepes will take a little longer).
5. I added my toppings to the second side before removing from the pan, just so I could melt the cheese.  You can add the toppings either in the pan or after removing from the pan.  It might be easier to do it after because the filled crepes became a little cumbersome to move to the plate. 

This recipe makes 8 crepes, so I have some leftover that I think I might use for making breakfast crepes and filling with eggs and cheese and whatever veggies suit my fancy! Or maybe I'll add some fruit to go with my afternoon snack.


What are your favorite fillings for crepes?

Linking to:

- See more at: http://www.anyonita-nibbles.co.uk/2014/03/tasty-tuesdays-51.html#sthash.JKfGhpt0.dpuf

Meatless Tuesday: Fettucine Al Marco

Every January, it seems we have an obsession with starting over: eating healthy, exercising, losing weight, etc.  Since I’m supposed to be gaining weight right now, I certainly can’t join the weight loss club.  But I can join the eating healthy and exercising club (er, maybe I should say maintain my membership in the eating healthy and exercising club?)

Here’s a fantastic recipe that I found in Diet for a Small Planet.  I love this recipe!  I’ve made it several times and each time it comes out tasting great!  It’s delicious, simple and fast.  Which is code for “even a working mom can make it on a weeknight.” 

*Please note: even though I found the original recipe in Diet for a Small Planet, I am writing it down as I make it, which has slightly different proportions/directions.

Ingredients:

-       1 lb fettucine noodles (either plain or spinach noodles

-       2 cups spinach leaves

-       1 ½ cups cottage cheese

-       ½ cup yogurt (plain)

-       ¼ cup parmesan cheese

-       ½ cup parsley, chopped

-       1 small can sliced olives

-       Salt & pepper to taste

1.              Cook the pasta.

2.              While the pasta is cooking, combine all other ingredients, except olives, in a food processor or blender.  (I’ve done it in a blender every time I’ve made it, but I think it would be easier to do in a large food processor.)  Blend until the mixture is very smooth.  It will be a light green color.

3.              When the pasta is done, drain and then toss with the sauce and add olives.

4.              Serve immediately. (Makes about 6 servings)

Here’s the cost breakdown:

Fettucine Al Marco
1 lb fettuccine	$1.00
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese	$1.50
1/4 cup Parmesan	$1.00
1/2 cup yogurt	$0.75
1/2 cup parsely	$0.25
2 cups spinach	$1.50
1 small can olives	$1.79
total:	$7.79
6 servings:	$1.30/serving

Linking to: