Healthy Vegan Jambalaya

Name: Healthy Vegan Jambalaya
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients: 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice; 1 green bell pepper, fine dice; 1 carrot, grated; 2 celery ribs, fine dice; 1 heaping tablespoon finely minced garlic; 1 – 14.5 oz. can fire roasted petite diced tomatoes; 2 cups vegetable broth *(see notes for amount ratio); 2 cups water (or more broth); 1 -15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed; ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke; 1 cup to 1 ½ cups cooked rice of choice (or more if desired) *(See notes for amount ratio); 1 large bay leaf (or 2 small bay leaves); 1 teaspoon smoked paprika *; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika *; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion flakes; ¼ teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves*; ¼ teaspoon dried oregano *; ¼ teaspoon dried dill weed *; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (+/- to taste) *; 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) *; ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/- to taste); 2 to 3 cups fresh baby spinach; Fresh chopped parsley; Hot sauce

February 4, 2019 By Ameera and Robin 30 Comments

Grab a bowl and get ready for our new comforting and cozy dish! Easy to make and filled with aromatic spices and nourishing veggies, this Healthy Vegan Jambalaya is delicious soul food in a bowl. Tasty fire roasted tomatoes, green bell peppers, celery, carrots, garlic, and onions coupled with hearty kidney beans and rice makes for a soul-satisfying dinner that will have the whole family running to the dinner table.

Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

Cajun or Creole? Jambalaya lies somewhere in between these two cuisines. This plant based dish is a nod to both the Cajun and Creole cuisines. Our much healthier version is packed with tons of flavor and is completely delicious. This Louisiana one-pot dish has been around forever with its Spanish and French influences, a signature New Orleans dish.

We love our spices!

Don’t let the impressive list of spices intimidate you. Spices are the name of the game when it comes to Whole Food Plant Based cooking. Mom and I spend a lot of time trying to find the perfect blend of spices for our dishes. It “a’int” always easy and sometimes requires numerous kitchen tests to get it just right, but totally worth it! You can’t beat dishes bursting with flavor – YUM!

Special Side Note

Don’t forget the bay leaf (or leaves). They totally make this dish sing!

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WFPB Jambalaya

Monkey really knocked this one out of the park, it is utterly and completely delicious. We all scarfed it down. TP absolutely loved it! Plus, it is super easy and simple to make, and you just can’t beat that, right?

We hope you give this deliciousness a try! We just know you are going to love it!

If you try it, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Products used:

Large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similar large stock pot with a tight-fitting lid

Healthy Vegan Jambalaya

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Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
Prep Time: 13 Minutes
Cook Time: 32 Minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes
Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Cajun, Creole

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Description

Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.

Ingredients

Scale

Ingredient:

1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
1 green bell pepper, fine dice
1 carrot, grated
2 celery ribs, fine dice
1 heaping tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 – 14.5 oz. can fire roasted petite diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth *(see notes for amount ratio)
2 cups water (or more broth)
1 –15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
1 cup to 1 ½ cups cooked rice of choice (or more if desired) *(See notes for amount ratio)

Seasonings/Spices:

1 large bay leaf (or 2 small bay leaves)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika *
1 teaspoon sweet paprika *
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons dried minced onion flakes
¼ teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves*
¼ teaspoon dried oregano *
¼ teaspoon dried dill weed *
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (+/- to taste) *
1 ½ teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) *
¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/- to taste)

Other Optional Ingredients:

2 to 3 cups fresh baby spinach

Optional Toppings:

Fresh chopped parsley
Hot sauce

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Instructions

In a large ceramic/enamel-lined Dutch oven or similar stock pot, add the finely minced onion, green bell pepper, carrot and celery; sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes.Add a tablespoon or so of water if the veggies start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, add the dry spices (smoked paprika, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried minced onion flakes, thyme, oregano, dill weed, cayenne pepper, sea salt and black pepper) except the bay leaf and sauté to release their fragrance, about 30 seconds to one minute.
Then add the fire roasted petite diced tomatoes, veggie broth, water, and bay leaf, bring to boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Stir well to incorporate all the ingredients. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, add the kidney beans and liquid smoke, simmer for 5 more minutes, then discard the bay leaf.
Test the flavors, add more spices, if necessary to achieve the level of flavor you desire. Add the cooked rice and baby spinach (optional) and cook for a few minutes.
Serve with your favorite toppings.

Notes

*Soup versus Stew: This recipe has more broth than a traditional jambalaya. If you would like less broth, then use less vegetable broth/water. Also, the type of rice selected for this recipe will also play a role in how much liquid is absorbed, adjust rice accordingly.

*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Rice: Jambalaya traditionally has little to no broth; however, we really enjoyed having some broth, so we used less cooked rice. Since the rice is already cooked it is very easy to adjust the amount simply by adding more cooked rice to the dish.

*Dried Crushed Thyme: We like to use dried crushed thyme leaves versus ground thyme. If you use ground thyme, use ½ of the amount indicated in the recipe.

*Spices: The spices tend to mellow over the cooking process. Ramp up any spices as needed near the end of the cooking time to achieve the level of spice desired. We suggest starting on the low end for the cayenne pepper as certain brands pack more heat than others.

*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Makes: 4 – 5 servings

*Storage: Refrigerate, use within 5 days.

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alexandra

4 years ago

My husband(who was a tugboat captain on the Mississippi, and knows about Jambalaya), took a spoonful, and asked me where I got the recipe. We loved it. And this is without a 24 hour period for the flavors to meld. I used the food processor for the vegetables; sauteed the vegetables in the Instant Pot; then pressure cooked the broth and water, spices and vegetables for 5 minutes; then after adding the beans, I sauteed/slow cooked the stew for about 15 minutes. Added the spinach and stirred til it wilted. This recipe will be repeated.

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