This recipe has a somewhat unusual inspiration. Every other week my friend and I volunteer  for the dinner shift at a women’s homeless shelter. Part of the dinner menu is always a vegetarian entry. Which of course delights me to no end!  So, last week’s veggie option was  Jambalaya and it looked really yummy. I talked with the staff person who made this dish about ingredients and seasonings. I liked that he had included beans as well. This got me thinking about making my own  version. In researching recipes a little further, I found out about two “jambalaya camps”: one to include the rice in cooking and the other to add it in already cooked. Since I have a lovely rice cooker AND a magic InstantPot pressure cooker, I decided to precook the rice. So, to all of you who grew up on traditional Jambalaya, please, indulge my culinary license and hope you enjoy it!

Serves 4- 6

Prep time: 25 minutes          Cook time: 45 minutes, plus need cooked rice

Ingredients

 1 medium onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

1 red pepper, seeded and diced

1 green pepper, seeded and diced

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, minced, seeds included

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp of chili powder

¼ cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato paste, no-salt-added

2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

¼ – ½ cup of low-sodium vegetable broth or water

1 15 oz can of pinto beans, no-salt-added, drained & rinsed

1 15 oz can of black beans, no-salt-added, drained & rinsed

cooked brown rice (use 1 cup dry rice; water amounts vary according to how you cook it)

 

Directions

• Cook rice
• In a large pot sauté onions in a little bit of vegetable broth or water on medium-high heat, until softened; approx. 2-3 minutes
• Add peppers, celery, jalapeńo and garlic. Sauté until vegetables have softened, approx. 5-6 minutes. Add broth or water a little at a time as necessary.
• Add thyme, smoked paprika, chili powder and parsley. Stir through and let cook for about 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic and apple cider vinegars
• Add ¼ – ½ cup of broth or water. Stir through well.
• Add beans and cooked rice.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer this dish simmers, the better the flavors will develop.
• Adjust seasonings. If you like more of a kick, add a few drops of hot sauce to this dish.