Jambalaya Pasta with Chicken (or tofu)

Tonight I made Jambalaya. It has always been one of my favorite dishes to order at restaurants. I have had a recipe for it for a few years, but due to the overwhelming list of ingredients and steps, I had never tried it before. So, several weeks ago, I finally tried it for the first time. It was sooo good. It was a little spicy, but I like it that way. So, I made it again tonight, but without the meat. I added firm tofu for the chicken and skipped the sausage all together. I also replaced the butter with olive oil (not eating dairy for the time being) and it was very tasty anyway. I used mostly whole wheat noodles (about 12 oz.) with the other 4 oz. just regular pasta. Delish. So, here is the recipe. It is pretty long and the first time I made it, it took me longer than an hour (closer to 1 1/2), but this time, I did it under an hour, very worth the time. (Sorry no picture) Another substituion for the pasta is rice. We ate it that way the first time we made it and it was very good too.

Jambalaya Pasta with Chicken
Recipe from The California Pizza Kitchen

Grilled Garlic Chicken

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 teaspoons Minced Garlic

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

½ teaspoon Salt

Two 5-ounce Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Jambalaya Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ pound Andouille sausage cut into 3/8-inch- thick slices
1 medium onion, cut into ¼ inch dice
1 medium green bell pepper cut into ¼ inch dice (I don't love green, so I used another color)
1 cup diced celery (1/4 inch dice)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 ½ cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes in puree
3 ounces canned tomato paste (half of a small can)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 bay leaf

Caribbean Peppers and Onions
¼ cup bottled sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch squares

For the Pasta
1 pound dry linguine (or two pounds fresh)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

To Make the Grilled Garlic Chicken:
In a mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, soy sauce and salt. Turn the chicken breasts in this mixture and leave them to marinate at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a stovetop grill or the broiler. Grill or broil the chicken breasts until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, and then cut into ¾ inch cubes. Cover and refrigerate. (with the tofu, I cubed it and then just cooked it in the oil mixture, gently turning it until it was browned).

To Make the Jambalaya Sauce:
In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the sliced andouille sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, stir well to blend and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

To Make the Caribbean Peppers and Onions:
In a mixing bowl, stir together the chili sauce, soy sauce and olive oil until thoroughly blended. Preheat a stovetop grill or the broiler. Toss the pepper and onion squares with the chili sauce marinade to coat thoroughly. Grill or broil the coated vegetables in a single layer, using a spatula or tongs to turn them occasionally, until evenly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

To Prepare the Pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 5 to 6 minutes for dry pasta or about 3 minutes for fresh pasta.

Meanwhile, in a covered medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the Caribbean Peppers and Onions, Grilled Garlic Chicken cubes and Jambalaya Sauce (remove the bay leaf). Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing or serving bowl.

Drain the linguine thoroughly, add it to the sauce and toss well. Serve family-style or in individual serving bowls, garnished with chopped parsley.

(I added the sauces to the pasta, tossed well and then added the tofu, gently tossing again)

VARIATION: With Shrimp: For the chicken, substitute 20 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined. Toss them with the same marinade ingredients, but cook them for only 2 to 3 minutes, until they turn bright pink. Leave them while when combining with the other ingredients.

Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

serves 4

From the book "Quick-Fix Vegetarian" by Robin Robertson

8 oz. dried flat rice noodles or linguine
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1/3 c. peanut butter
2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 T. tamari (soy sauce)
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 large carrot, shredded
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1 c. frozen baby peas, thawed
1/4 c. minced scallions

Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with the sesame oil to coat.

While the noodles are cooking, combine the peanut butter, lime juice, tamari, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl, whisking to blend well. Add a small amount of water if necessary to make a smooth sauce. Set aside.

To the dressing in the bowl, add the carrot, tomatoes, peas, scallions, and the cooked noodles. Toss gently to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Note: Ready-to-use fresh rice noodles may be used instead of dried.
Variation: Don't be afraid to vary the vegetables to what you have on hand.

Ginger Sesame Noodles with Broccoli

Ginger Sesame Noodles with Broccoli

serves 4

From the book "Quick-Fix Vegetarian" by Robin Robertson

2 T. tahini (sesame paste)
1 T. light brown sugar
3 T. mirin (or white cooking wine)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. tamari (soy sauce)
2 T. water
12 oz. linguine
8 oz. broccoli florets, cut into 1" pieces
2 T. toasted sesame oil
1 T. canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. fresh or bottled minced ginger
Toasted sesame seeds or gomasio

Put the pasta water on to boil in a large covered pot. In a small bowl, combine the tahini, brown sugar, mirin, and red pepper flakes until well blended. Set aside.

When the water comes to a boil, salt it and add the linguine. Cook the linguine until it is al dente, about 10 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of the cooking time, add the broccoli and cook until just tender. When the noodles and broccoli are cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with the sesame oil and set aside.

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the noodles and broccoli and the sauce, and toss to combine and heat through. Server hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Variation: Substitute asparagus, cut into 2" pieces for the broccoli.

This is so yummy and extremely easy. My kids loved it. I haven't tried the asparagus yet, but that sounds good.

Pad Thai Noodles

I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious.  It serves about 8.

13 oz. bag rice stick noodles

6 cloves minced garlic

1/2 cup minced cilantro

6 scallions chopped about 1 inch lengths

3 Tbs fish sauce

2 Tbs tamarind sauce (or ketchup)

2 tsp sweetner like sugar, honey, or agave nectar

1 cup bean sprouts rinsed

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

2 Thai chilies chopped ( I used a much less spicy Anaheim and it worked fine)

1 pack of firm tofu diced into squares

4 beaten eggs cooked crepe-like (so you have a round egg pancake), rolled, then sliced thin into strips

1. Put noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water, let soak until ready (about 15 mns), then drain (let them soak while you do the next couple of steps.  You don't want them to sit undrained or they will stick together and be gross).

2. In hot frying pan pour a neutral flavored oil (like corn or grapeseed, not olive oil) and fry up the garlic, tofu, scallions, and half of the bean sprouts for about 3-5 minutes.  Remove from pan wth slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Put noodles, eggs, fish sauce, tamarind, and sweetner in frying pan and mix and fry for about 1-2 minutes.  

4. Mix noodle mixture with tofu mixture, top with peanuts, chilies, cilantro, and remaining bean sprouts.  Serve with lime wedges.  (You could also garnish with fresh sliced cucumbers)

YUM!