The other weekend we were busy buzzing around the house and working in the yard, which is a standard weekend ritual. Another weekend tendency of mine is to cook a little low maintenance food for us so that when we come inside, all hot and sweaty, the wafting aroma of a welcoming meal is already waiting. There aren't many better things in my book.
So I often make things I can stick in the oven or a slow cooker and forget about. Well, you know. Almost.
Since I knew I would be popping in and out of the kitchen I decided to do a stovetop low maintenance dish instead. I wanted something super savory and a little comfort food-like. I wanted to walk into the kitchen and smell something mouth watering. So I thought about an étouffée. The problem was I didn't really feel like doing an étouffée in one pot and also steaming rice in another. Poof. Étouffée Rice.
Since this was suppose to be a throw down meal, I wasn't planning on taking photos of it. As a result, pardon the pics since they were just quickies I snapped with my phone.
One Pot Étouffée Rice
Ingredients
- 2 Tbls. Earth Balance
- 1 Tbls. flour
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped (I used red because thats what I had on hand)
- 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbls of finely chopped thyme and oregano
- 2 1/2 cups of veggie broth
- 1 sheet of nori, toasted and crumbled very fine
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp. vegan Worcestershire
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- lemon and parley for garnish
Instructions
In a dutch oven over medium heat melt the butter.
Whisk in the flour and stir until the flour is well mixed and turns into a nice golden brown roux.
Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic and sauté until translucent. Add a splash of veggie broth to prevent burning if necessary.
Add the broth and remaining ingredients except for the lemon and parsley.
Stir to incorporate and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cover, and reduce heat to a simmer for about 30 mins or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid, but not all, is absorbed. Add more broth if necessary.
Spoon into bowls and top with a squeeze of lemon and fresh chopped parsley.
I also enjoy sprinkling cajun filé powder and nutritional yeast on each bowl.
