New Traditions

John and I stayed in Columbia for Thanksgiving this year.  With my vicious Black Friday work schedule and his cold, we decided not to brave the highways for travel.  Instead, a day of peaceful, do-nothing relaxation was in place.  We played video games, drank home brew, watched football, and for the second year in a row, made a kick-a$$ Seafood Jambalaya!!

I feel it may become a tradition with us now, and with good reason.  You see, this Jambalaya is goood.  Loaded with lots of custom blended Creole seasoning, power-packed quinoa, and pounds upon pounds of seafood, this is too good to resist.  We opted for Oysters, Shrimp, Catfish, and Andouille sausage this go round.  We even had a new addition of flaked barley with the grains.  Flaked barley is now a staple with John's beer brewing.

Seriously, look at that deliciousness!

You can find the recipe post here.

And here's to new traditions!  We shall see what Christmas holds . . .

Seafood Jambalaya with Quinoa

My boyfriend and I recently bought some bulk foods at a local Earthfare store.  This included some bargain priced Peruvian quinoa and some wild rice mix.  We knew we had some grouper fillets waiting to be used in the freezer, so our minds wandered to a go-to seafood jambalaya meal.

Seafood Jambalaya with Quinoa

2 tablespoons butter

1 lb. andouille sausage (or other smoked sausage), sliced ¼” thick pieces

1 bell pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

3 ribs celery, diced

1 head of garlic, peeled and minced

Creole seasoning (see below)

1 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 oz.  fish fillets, cut into chunks (grouper cheeks are wonderful here)

3 cups quinoa, or brown/wild rice, or combination

6 cups water or stock

2-3 bay leaves

Green onions, chopped for garnish

Any Louisiana-style hot sauce

Using a thick-walled pot or French oven, sauté the sausage in the butter until sausage begins to crisp. Add the Trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper), garlic, and some of the Creole seasoning to the pot, sautéing until the vegetables are a light brown. Add the quinoa to the mix and sauté for another minute or so.

Add the can of tomatoes, bay leaves and water; bring to a boil. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to keep the quinoa floating. Reduce heat and simmer while covered until most of the water is absorbed. 

Now fold in the shrimp and fish fillets, re-season with Creole seasoning, and simmer 2 minutes, just enough time to get the shrimp and fish started. Then remove from heat and keep covered another 10 minutes.

Serve right from the pot or transfer, garnish with green onions and hot sauce.

Suggestion for Creole seasoning*:

Combine -

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons garlic, granulated

2 tablespoons pepper, freshly ground

1 tablespoon onion, granulated

1 tablespoon salt, table

1 teaspoon (or more) cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

*NOTE:  You don’t have to use all the seasoning at once; it will keep if sealed airtight. Be sure to taste and see what it needs first!

We ended up using half quinoa and half wild rice mix as our grains, and the textures were wonderful.  Our selected hot sauce for the evening, Florida Roadkill, came out of John's collection. 

Enjoy!