You’ve probably heard the health advice to “eat a rainbow” – it’s sage advice to fill your plate with lots of plant foods, where vibrant colors are often an indicator of the nutrients hiding inside. Tonight’s supper, a plant-packed jambalaya, looked so gorgeous in the pan and is full of so many awesome nutrient-packed veggies that I nicknamed it Rainbow Jambalaya. While it does require a bit of chopping, it also pulls on the prep-friendly tastiness of vegan kielbasa, which you can buy in packs; or if you’re really adventurous and you just want to kick ass in the kitchen, then you can make your own. I personally went for the time-saver, and used good old reliable Tofurky kielbasa:
Tofurky: Savior of vegans everywhere.
The recipe also calls for cooked brown rice and cooked lentils – I made the rice in advance tonight while I went out for a run, and the lentils I’d prepped earlier in the week for Creamy Seitan-Lentil Pasta. I’m trying to make it a habit to pre-cook grains and beans on the weekends or the night before, so that I’ll have a steady supply on hand during the week.
As for veggies, this one’s packed with onions, celery, red bell pepper, scallions, white button mushrooms, jalopeno, and fresh tomatoes. I’m sure there are others you could throw in for an even more robust meal. This is a good way to clean out your bins. The results are quite pretty:
In hindsight, I might have added a bit of additional Cajun seasoning, but this was pretty darn good – the kielbasa, mushrooms, and lentils really gave the dish a strong umami vibe. Feel free to play around with the seasonings a bit to get it spicier, as you like (this is a child-friendly version).
Rainbow Jambalaya
Serves: 5-6 Prep time: ~30 minutes (assumes rice and lentils are pre-cooked)
Accessibility Notes: A fair amount of chopping here, but everything’s confined to one pan. You’ll need a large skillet and a good knife (and maybe a glass of white wine to help you pass the time).
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 tsps olive oil
- 2 Tofurky kielbasa links, diced into rounds
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
- 8 oz white button mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- ~ 1/2 cup scallions, chopped (green parts)
- 1 good-sized jalopeno, diced (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning (or more to taste)
- 1 cup cooked green/brown lentils
- ~ 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Heat skillet over medium heat or flame; add 2 tsp of oil to the hot skillet and follow-up with the kielbasa rounds. Cook, 3-4 minutes, tossing the rounds to ensure that the kielbasa cooks on each side. Try not to nearly burn them, as I did.
2. When the kielbasa is finished, transfer to a small bowl or plate. In the same skillet, add the onions, celery, and red pepper to the remaining pan and cook 3-4 minutes, until softened.
3. Next add the mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions, jalopeno, garlic, and Cajun seasoning. Stir well to distribute the seasoning, and let cook ~5 minutes until the mushrooms are juicy.
4. Add in the lentils and cooked kielbasa, stirring and allowing to cook about 3 minutes, until the lentils and sausage are heated through. Add the cooked rice and stir well, making sure everything is coated.
5. Add the parsley, stirring to just mix through, then season everything with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Peas and Compassion 