Shrimp Jambalaya

I am writing this as I am making the shrimp Jambalaya. This dish came to my mind thinking of the leftovers I had at home and I had marinated Cajun Chicken which was lying in the fridge for tonight's dinner. So to accompany the Cajun Chicken, I thought of making Shrimp Jambalaya (as I had shrimp in the freezer and no sausage or boneless chicken).
We eat this dish very often at The Farmer's Market. The name of the stall is The Gumbo Pot. First of all, I never knew what the difference in Jambalaya and Gumbo was. So I googled and found out that both the dishes belong to New Orleans (Southern Amrica) and both are spicy. The difference is with rice and without. Jambalaya has rice (lot of it!) and Gumbo doesn't! Jambalaya is a little thick, but Gumbo is soup-like with Oakra in it to give it a nice texture (although I do not like slimy Oakra).

Ingredients: 
Onion, chopped - 1/2
Tomato, chopped - 1/2
Bell Pepper, chopped - 1/2
Garlic - 2pods
Cayenne - 1/2tspn
Cajun Spice - 2 tspn
Oregano - 1/2tspn
Parsley Flakes - 1/4 tspn
Rice - 1/3 cup
Chicken Broth - 2 cups
Shrimp, peeled and deveined - 2 cups
Oil
Salt to taste

Procedure: 

1. Heat some oil in a pot and saute onions, bell peppers and garlic for 4-5mins.
2. Now add all other ingredients except for chicken broth and shrimp.
3. Saute for another 2mins and add chicken broth to it and cook it (with lid on) for 35-40mins or till rice is cooked and desired consistency is achieved, on low heat.
4. Now add some salt and shrimp and cook it for 2 mins more. South American flavors are lingering in my kitchen!

Variations: 
You can vary Jambalaya as you want. Add some chicken pieces to it, throw in some sausages and other veggies. It will still taste GREAT!


Conclusion:
I cooked it but had it the day after. The flavors had soaked in well. We relished it with Grilled Cajun Chicken....yummy!

Mix vegetable Soup

Now a days I am eating more number of times in smaller portion only because I read in an article (and my mother always followed that rule) that eating in smaller portions is better that eating a lot at once. So I make one pot of soup for the whole week and refrigerate. I take a cup of soup everyday to work and reduce the portion of lunch. Also, reducing the quantity of carbs (Like roti, rice, bread) and increasing the portion of vegetables, poultry or seafood is advisable.
So here is an easy recipe for a mix vegetable soup in which you can add or substract the ingredients as per your taste. Always remember, playing a little bit with the ingredients is good for experimenting and knowing what you like more. So go ahead and experiment with this soup.


Ingredients: 
Vegetable Broth/Water - 3 cups
Spinach, chopped - 1/2 bunch
Squash, cubed - 2
Carrots, cubed - 2
Bell Peppers, cubed - 1
Green Chillies, slit - 2
Garlic, minced - 2 cloves
Black Beans - 1Can
Cooked Pasta - 1 cup (Optional)
Cooked Rice - 1/2 cup (Optional)
Oregano - 1 tspn
Ground Pepper - 1 tspn, or as per taste


Procedure: 

1. Add the broth in a pot and add spinach to it. Cook it for 10mins or so, then add everything other than pasta, rice and beans.
2. Let it cook with lid closed for 35-40 mins. Then add rice, pasta and beans and cook for another 5mins and the soup is ready.

Variations: 
This soup has been my favorite and I add whatever vegetables I have. I also add some cooked lentils, if I have them handy.


Conclusion:
The soup has been a Saviour as I serve this to my hubby whenever he comes home after work and then he doesn't demand for dinner immediately.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

I am a soup lover and make soup at home very often. I became a soup lover because I love to eat or drink hot things during winter and in US of A, it is always cold, even in California. So I make a big pot of soup once a week and have it with lunch or dinner.
Today I only had cauliflower and wanted to make some soup out of it. So I called a friend of mine and she gave me her recipe.

Ingredients: 
Cauliflower - 1LB
Sliced Onion - 1/2 cup
Potato, peeled and cubed - 1
Ginger Paste - 1tspn
Garlic - 3 cloves
Black Peppercorns - 8-10
Green Chillies - 2
Milk - 1 1/2 cups
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tspn (Optional)
Water or chicken or vegetable stock - 3cups
Salt to taste

Procedure: 

1. Cut and clean the cauliflower. Pressure cook all the above ingredients with 3 cups of water or chicken or vegetable stock. (I used water as I didn't have the broth handy)
2. Take 2 whistles and when cooker is cooled, blend the cauliflower mixture into a smooth paste.
3. Now add some milk and blend again.

Variations: 
My friend said that she gives a 'tadka' of oil and jeera to add some flavor to it. I didn't want to add oil to the soup so I skipped that step.

Conclusion:

When I told my husband that I am making cauliflower soup, he made faces but when I made him taste it, he loved it. Even I was surprised with its distinct taste.... very creamy without adding butter or cream. One cannot make out that it is cauliflower soup. Thanks to Louloua (Pronounced as Lulua) who suggested this soup and gave me the recipe.