creative_cooks | Aug. 4th, 2013

Vegetarian jambalaya
6 servings

For the marinated eggplant:

1 1/2 cups peeled and diced eggplant
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
Pinch freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon nonsalt vegetable seasonings, such as Mrs. Dash
Pinch cayenne pepper

For the jambalaya

1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
3/4 cup sliced red bell pepper
1 cup diced zucchini
1/4teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Pinch saffron-(optional)
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 cups black-eyed peas, boiled and drained

Preheat oven to 350f. Lightly coat a baking sheet with a
small amount of olive oil. In a large bowl, combine eggplant,
olive oil, paprika, black pepper, sage, vegetable seasoning,
and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Spread seasoned eggplant mixture
evenly over the baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes, remove
from oven and cool.in a large sauté pan, sauté onions and
celery until translucent in olive oil. Add garlic, tomatoes,
red bell pepper, and zucchini and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in paprika, cayenne, thyme, salt and saffron and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Stir eggplant mixture and rice into sautéed vegetables. Mix gently. Serve 3/4 cup vegetable/eggplant/rice mixture in a soup bowl with 1/2 cup of warm black-eyed peas on top.