There are days that we just don't have a lot of time to cook, but we still want something healthy and filling. What do we do?
We could order pizza, but that has cheese -- otherwise, it's not really pizza. Or, we could order Chinese food, but that could get expensive and way too much time to wait. Why even spend the money if we have food at home? Well, today, we used one of our backup plans that we keep in the pantry. We were so excited to have learned that this is absolutely vegan in its ingredients, and we could use it during Great Lent as well as other times of the year.
What are we talking about? We are using the pre-packaged Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix. There is nothing like adding a little spice into your night through food, especially if you are exhausted after a day of work, meetings, appointments, and hustle-bustle. Sometimes, these packaged foods are a great way to get a rather healthy meal on the table very quickly.
Zatarain's is a company that is based in New Orleans. They claim to specialize in French-Acadian (Cajun) and Creole dishes -- typical New Orleans cuisine. They have a variety of products that are readily available in the U.S., and they have some markets in Canada. To find where to purchase this brand, click here.
So, we decided that this jambalaya was going to be dinner tonight with a salad and some greens, which go with any food of any nationality. Since the word jambalaya means "mish mash" or "mix up," it may not matter what we serve with it. So, it was a clean slate, and choice was easy; whatever we have in the fridge to cook is always the right answer! And, to make it even easier, we followed the directions on the package. There was no real thought process about what we needed to do -- it was right there on the box. It was a nice idea -- no special tools or equipment, no special ingredients for this dish... just a simple dinner sounded perfect for today. You really don't need anything special for this meal, just some water, a little oil, and, if you choose, some protein to add in to the package.
Traditionally, making Jambalaya is a chore. There are a dozen or more ingredients, each one is chopped, sliced, cleaned, and mixed into the pot individually. There is typically a variety of meats such as sausage and chicken combined with vegetables and some shrimp. Each one must be cooked separately from one another, as well as separately from the rice. Of course, this is one of those dishes that everyone makes a little differently, and the method may vary some, but overall it is the same process. Oh, and the spiciness changes from place to place.
So, for us, today, we decided to use the jambalaya mix to suit our needs -- our fasting needs. We added some frozen seafood -- shrimp, mussels and clams to replace any of the meat options. Having used this mix two times before, we have experimented a little bit. We have tried it with the meat and seafood, we have tried it as a plain rice, and we have added just shrimp, and that is nice, too. Seeing how we are not having meat, we opted for a little variety with our seafood choices. Though the type of seafood you add may vary, you may even omit it all together, and just have a flavourful, seasoned rice dish. This is a good side dish that can be made into an entree. So, you decide if you are going to add any seafood or what combination you want.
As mentioned, we followed the directions on the package. Basically, after gathering the ingredients, the first step is to boil 2 1/2 cups water with 2 TBSP oil.
While we waited for the water to boil -- remember with the addition of oil in the water, the boiling point is now a higher temperature than straight water, so, it may take an extra couple of minutes. But, while we waited, we cleaned the tails off the shrimp, so they would be ready to use. Because we used frozen shrimp, we ran them under cold water for a bit to thaw partially (enough to pull off the tails). We also thawed the mussels and clams at this point by running those under cold water.
Once the water is boiling, add the Zatarain's package of rice and seasoning. It's one pouch, so empty the entire pouch into the pot and let the water come back up to boiling. You can see the chunks of dried vegetables, the pieces of dehydrated spices, and the colour of the water instantly changes from the seasonings.
Once you have reached a full, rolling boil again, then turn down the heat to simmer, and put a lid on the pot and allow the mixture to simmer for 25 minutes. While this simmered, we cut a salad and steamed some greens in a separate pot. That way, the rest of the meal was ready by the time the rice was cooked. Salad is eaten cold, and the greens are fine at room temperature, so we did not worry about hurrying for the reason of other food getting cold.
After about 18 minutes, we added the shrimp, mussels, and clams. The directions on the box state that if you are using shrimp, add it in the last ten minutes of cooking, and make sure that it becomes fully pink in colour. That would be after 15 minutes in a 25 minute cycle. The directions did tell us to simmer for 25 minutes. Since our seafood was all pre-cooked, and we did not want it to become too chewy or tough, we thought 10 minutes of cook-time was long. We waited a little longer to add the seafood to the pot. Just over 3/4 of the water had been absorbed by the rice at this point.
Add all the seafood. And mix it well to get it fully covered with the spices that come with the package. Then, cover the pot again and let the rice cook the rest of the way. It should be less than 10 minutes (maybe 5 or 6 minutes).
Serve this dish hot with the vegetables of your choice, and enjoy. You can add a hot sauce to your plate if this is too mild for you.
In the past when we have used this boxed mix, we have used it as a side dish with barbecue, and everyone who tastes it loves it. It's flavourful, it is colourful, and it is easy to use. We always tell people that it is from a package, but it is not often that they all believe us.
Although we prefer our fresh, natural, and homemade foods, it is nice to have a fall back dish like this for those very busy days when you just don't know what else to make. We do keep a couple of boxes on hand for these rare occasions, although, we know that when there is time, we could assemble all the spices and ingredients to make our own jambalaya that would likely have less sodium and a homemade touch. But, like we said, for a back up plan, this is a great dish. Fresh is best, but sometimes you just need a little help.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
10 Then it happened that as [a]Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and[b]sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It isnot those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn [c]what this means: ‘I DESIRE [d]COMPASSION, [e]AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
(source:www.biblegateway.com)
(source:www.biblegateway.com)
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