Cajun Jambalaya, Done Vegan

 

My mother was born and raised in Elton, Louisiana, a small town in the Cajun Triangle (the area with points in Alexandria, pronounced Ahl-eck for short; Lafayette and Lake Charles). The poverty was real, but even during the Depression, they still managed to grow plenty of rice and sugar cane, and fish for sac-au-lait and crawfish, and hunt for ducks. My grandfather had a herd of cattle that foraged in the dense woods, and would ride his horse to round them up by nightfall. My mother had to milk their stingy teats to get what little milk they provided before heading off to school. She was the youngest of five girls and a boy, and the first to learn English before starting school. 

But the food was good, spicy but not mouth-burningly hot, and heavily rice-based. They loved their rice, and looked aghast at anyone who would cook it with tomatoes and ruin the texture. (They liked tomatoes, but in a sauce or as a side dish.)

I’m sure there were times when the ducks had migrated, the pork from the pigs that were slaughtered in the fall ran out, the chickens refused to lay. But if there were any recipes for jambalaya that didn’t have tasso (a spicy ham) or andouille sausage or chicken or all three, they weren’t in my mother’s recipe box.

I made this vegan version for my book club ladies earlier this month, and they liked it a lot. Since I now live in Sacramento, I toned down the amount of cayenne pepper, but had my hot sauce available for any brave souls who needed it.

Lori K’s Vegan Jambalaya

Serves 6-8

Seasoning mix:

4 small whole bay leaves, dried

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Pinch of cayenne

1 teaspoon of filé powder (ground sassafras leaves, also called filé gumbo)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

2 cups uncooked rice (I like basmati, but any long-grain rice will do)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

1 can of beans, rinsed and drained (any unseasoned type will do; I prefer cannellini beans)

3 cups vegetable stock (be sure it doesn’t contain tomatoes or tomato juice; if you can’t find it, and haven’t made your own from vegetable peelings and scraps, Seitenbacher makes a good instant vegan broth)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Instructions

Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix in a small bowl and set aside.

Rinse the rice until clear, drain and put in an oiled 9x13 glass pan. Set aside.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat; add the onion, celery, peppers and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the seasoning mix and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Scrape it into the pan over the rice. Sprinkle the beans over the vegetables.

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add the yeast and soy sauce. Pour slowly over the rice and vegetables and cover tightly with foil. Put in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Check to see if the rice is browning around the edges; if so, turn down the head to 350 and bake 15 minutes more. Otherwise, continue baking for 10 minutes at 375, and if the rice is tender but still a little crunchy, take it out of the oven and cover tightly. Let it rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. Serve.

A most delicious chicken dish

I wish I could take credit for this dish, but I can’t. I saw a Facebook Reel about a similar dish, but when I went back to look for it, I couldn’t find it. So I searched my memory banks as to what I could remember about it and this was my best guess. I made it tonight, and thought I should write it down so I can make it again. It was truly spectactular and pleasing. I served it with a side of broiled asparagus.

Lori K’s version of the most delicious chicken dish you’ll ever make

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, halved lengthwise

¼ cup flour

1 egg

4 sprigs thyme, leaves only

Garlic salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup of chicken or vegetable broth

2 tablespoons capers

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

1½ cups cooked rice (I think the original called for mashed potatoes, but rice is what I had on hand)

Instructions

After you halve the chicken breast, pound each half with a meat mallet. Put the flour in a fine wire-mesh strainer and sprinkle it generously over each breast; turn each half and sprinkle over the other side. On a plate large enough for each half, that has at least a ½-inch lip, crack open the egg and beat it. Add the thyme, and the amount of garlic salt and pepper you would usually use on a chicken breast. Beat the spices and egg together.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until it starts to lightly smoke. Have two ½-tablespoon pats of butter ready. Dredge the first floured chicken breast half through the beaten egg on both sides. Put a butter pat in one side of the pan in the hot oil and put the breast on top of it. Repeat with the other half. Cook until both halves are golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

When both are done, lower the heat to simmer; add the broth and the capers. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the broth thickens and the meat is done.

Put ¾ cup of rice on half the serving plate and put a chicken breast half on top of it. Drizzle half of the pan juices and capers over it, then half of the lemon juice, then sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with a salad and/or your favorite vegetable(s).

Summer’s bounty in a winter chowder

I try every summer to take advantage of fresh white and bicolor corn, cooking it until crisp-tender, then cutting it off the cob and freezing it. Nothing like having a bit of culinary sunshine to chase away the chilly blues on an early spring day.

2 red potatoes, peeled, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

1/2 cup green chilies finely chopped

2 ounces thick-cut bacon bits, crisped for a minute in microwave  between paper towels 

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour mixed with 1 teaspoon dried powdered oregano  

1 Parmesan rind (optional)

2 sprigs thyme

Freshly ground black pepper 

2 cups chicken broth

Corn off the cob, about 2-4 cobs, frozen OK, but thawed

1 cup heavy cream

Instructions 

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium and add potatoes, onions and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened but haven’t taken on any color, 12–15 minutes. Add chiles and cook until fragrant and softened, about 3 minutes. Add bacon bits. Stir in flour and cook until nutty and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cheese rind, thyme and chicken broth, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork-tender, 10–15 minutes. Add cream, cook, stirring, until chowder has thickened, 5–10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve. 

Nothing fishy about Perfect Fish

 It's such an unassuming little gadget, but with a name that sounds more like a brag than a discription, the Perfect Fish Cooking Time Indicator is indispensable for cooks who love fish. I've had mine for almost as long as it's been available (the patent was issued in 1984), and it lost its plastic part that rested on the fish to get a precise measurement years ago, but the aluminum measuring part still hangs near my stove.

I have looked far and wide for a better-looking and intact replacement, with no luck. The few that have appeared from resellers on eBay and Etsy were snapped up quickly.

If this gizmo sounds like something that would help you from either overcooking or undercooking fish, here's my workaround:

Take a straight-edge metal ruler. Put it next to the piece of fish you will be cooking. Using a non-flexible thin item such as an icing spatula or knife, place it across the fish, perpendicular to the ruler and measure how thick the fish is. Figure 5 minutes of cooking time for every half inch of fish, 10 minutes for 1" and so on. Bake or broil at 450°F ; pan fry or deep fry at 375°F. 

It has never let me down. If anyone hears of a reissue of this useful tool, please let me know!

Lori K's tip of the day – July 23, 2023

If you're heating soft corn tortillas in the microwave, put a folded paper towel on the bottom first, then the tortillas. This allows the steam somewhere to go, so the bottom tortilla is soft and warm like the rest, not soggy. A minute in the 'wave is all you need.

Lori K's veggie Mexican scramble

Serves 2

Ingredients

Oil

4 oz. soy or other vegetarian chorizo

½ pound of chard or spinach, rinsed and stems removed

2 eggs

Pepper and/or salt to taste

6 tortillas

Instructions

Put a little oil in a large nonstick skillet and turn on the burner to medium heat. Remove the casing from the chorizo, chop it roughly and add to the skillet. Meanwhile put a smooth cotton or linen towel on a large microwave safe plate, pile on the chard, fold the towel over it, and microwave for about 90 seconds until just wilted. Remove from the microwave, and when cool, squeeze out as much liquid as possible (you could save the liquid for vegetable broth; it's very nutritious). Chop the greens, put them in the skillet, and turn the heat down to low. Crack the two eggs over the mixture, season with the salt and pepper, and scramble the mixture until the whites set. Put the tortillas in a warmer (a clean tea towel could be used instead) and microwave for 1 minute.

Plate the scramble and use it as a filling for the tortillas, one at a time, keeping the others warm as you eat them all up.

Nanner, nanner, banana bread

My mother loved to make banana bread and I loved to eat it. She preferred pecans. but I loved walnuts in it. 

Yet, once the doc told me that I was prediabetic and would need to ease up on the sweets, I knew my days of enjoying this treat would come to an end if I didn't make some changes. Here's my compromise. 

I halved the amount of butter and sugar, and doubled the number of bananas. It worked! 

Lori's Banana Bread 

Ingredients 

1/4 cup butter 

1/4 cup sugar 

2 eggs 

6 bananas (thawed if frozen; mashed if fresh) 

1/3 cup milk, mixed with 1 tablespoon vinegar 

2 cups flour 

1 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1 cup walnuts (or pecans, or other nuts) 

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer. Add the eggs and bananas while the mixer is going, one at a time until blended, then the milk. 

Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and mix with the nuts until they are well coated. 

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together; add slowly to the mixture while the mixer is still going until all is blended. 

Turn off the mixer and fold in the nuts. Pour into a well-oiled loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Turn out on a cooling rack. Serve warm or cold.

A more healthful Bite

I love the little oatcakes that are commonly called Aussie Bites, but the sugar and butter calories are pretty daunting for those of us watching our weight, or our sugar and fat intake. 

So here's my attempt to make some with no cholesterol (although it does have saturated fat) and far less sugar. 

I made them in a mini-muffin tin that has 24 indentions; the batter makes 4 dozen, and it keeps well for several days in the refrigerator.

Lori K’s Aussie Bites

Makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients

½ cup coconut oil

½ cup honey

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups rolled oats, uncooked

1½ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup raisins

¾ cup sliced almonds or chopped nuts

Instructions

Mix the first four ingredients until smooth. Add the rest a little at a time until everything is well mixed. Press into mini-muffin cups (24) and bake until golden, 13-15 minutes.