Today I have a great guest post for you all from Ben at The Online Grill. I myself am not a vegan, but recently my best friend decided to switch to a vegan diet after a year of being vegetarian and she has seen a huge amount of benefits to her health and also her bank balance! I was surprised by how many great quick and easy vegan recipes there were online and this Vegan Jambalaya Recipe sounds amazing.
So when Ben got in touch to ask if I would like to share a vegan jambalaya recipe with my readers I thought it might be a great post for those planning to change to a plant based diet, or simply trying to reduce the amount of meat they consume.
This recipe would also be great if you are on slimming world as most vegan sausages are syn free, which would make this recipe syn free also.
(This post may contain affiliate links, which means we make a tiny commission should you buy through some of the links on the page, but this does not affect cost to you. See more info here)
What is a vegan diet
A vegan diet involves eating only plant based food produce and avoiding any animal based products or by-products.
Animal products are an important source of protein, nonsaturated fats, iron, vitamins, and minerals in an average diet in the western world. A vegan needs to find alternative sources of these nutrients to help keep a balanced diet.
Reasons for following a vegan diet can include preventing cruelty to animals, environmental considerations, or simply looking to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle.
Food packaging should state that the contents are vegan-friendly, or prepared in a completely meat-free kitchen. Vegan options are available in many restaurants, and some specialized restaurants serve only vegan food.
Benefits of a vegan diet
As I didn’t know much about vegan diets and what the benefits of a vegan diet were I thought I would do a little research on the subject, here’s what I found out. (Info found here)
- lower cholesterol levels
- lower blood pressure
- decreases intake of saturated fats
- more vital nutrition
- decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers
- healthier body weights.
If your unsure about the effects a vegan diet could be having on your body, you could consider some nutritional testing just to make sure your getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
A Good Stock Pot or Saucepan
For any good one-pot dish you will need a good stock pot, sturdy non-stick saucepan or cast iron casserole dish (suitable for induction hobs). Over the years, as me and Jon have gotten older and I have started cooking more, good quality kitchen equipment is something we have invested in. After over 10 years living together I finally have a collection of high quality cook ware I love using and know will last me years to come.
I have found that if you invest in a quality piece of kitchen ware it will last you a lot longer than cheaper alternatives, so they really are worth the initial outlay. Most of my pots and pans have come from ProCook via amazon, or I have managed to get a few great Tefal, Swiss and Kitchen Craft items from TK Maxx at a great price. So keep your eyes peeled and you can find high quality items at more purse friendly prices.
About todays Guest Poster
Ben is a former semi-pro cyclist and big eater. Now he is just a big eater. He writes about food and drink for lazy chefs at The Online Grill
One-pot Cooking
I’m a big one-pot fan. Something about a heap of ingredients all cooked and enjoyed in one vessel really appeals to me. From one-pot tiramisu to one-pot beer and kielbasa, I’ve experimente a lot with the recipe format.
What’s particularly great about them is that they are really quite simple to put together, but they can be easily scaled up or down to suit the number of people you’re cooking for. So I’m always on the lookout for some one-pot inspiration!
And now for the Cajun Vegan Jamalaya Recipe
This beautiful Cajun vegan jambalaya recipe is a beautiful blend of homely staples like rice, kidney beans and onions, all mixed with beautiful Cajun spices, like cayenne and paprika. It goes together beautifully and I can’t wait for you guys to try it.
The only tip I’d have for this is to show it a lot of patience. It’s a simple recipe in technique, but you need to give it time to cook perfectly and for its flavors to come through. This is especially true when browning the onions: Keep the heat low.
Also be sure to let the rice cook properly, soaking up all the broth and juices from the ingredients. Stick to these two rules and you’ll have a beautiful jambalaya on your hands.
Lastly
While this recipe does make great use of vegan sausage, if you would like to make use of actual meat then just swap in your choice of pork sausage or chorizo. Furthermore, the vegetable broth can be swapped for chicken broth.
Cajun Vegan Jambalaya
Ingredients
- ½ pound vegan sausage sliced
- 15 oz can red kidney beans drained and washed
- 3 medium yellow onions chopped
- 2 cups uncooked brown rice
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- Olive Oil
- 4 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup shallots chopped
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large saucepan or pot over a low heat. Then add two of the chopped onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes or until the onions have browned (be sure not to burn). Make sure that the heat is very low so that the onions turn a lovely brown color without burning.
- Stir in the remaining chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and bay leaves. Add ½ cup of the vegetable broth, cook for 20-30 minutes.
- Stir in the hot sauce, parsley, shallots, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring and adding a little more vegetable broth.
- Stir in the rice. Add 4 more cups of vegetable broth and turn up the heat to bring the mix to the boil. Cover and reduce the heat back to low, leaving it to simmer for 40 minutes or until all the rice has cooked and the liquid has disappeared. Stir occasionally.
- Once cooked, remove from heat and keep covered for 10 minutes.
- Warm a skillet over a medium heat and a little olive oil and the vegan sausage. Sauté until the sausage has browned and turned a little crisp.
- Add the sausage and kidney beans to the main pot and stir to mix it in evenly.
- Serve up with parsley and your choice of hot sauce!
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