Jambalaya - Paleo Southern Comfort

    I know you're wondering how the heck I pulled this off. The best part of jambalaya is the spicy, delicious rice. No rice, no jambalaya.

   Well, I found a recipe for Paleo jambalaya on Paleo Grubs. After reading it over, I decided the "rice" portion needed to be revamped, but the overall recipe looked pretty solid. Instead of making the cauliflower rice-like, I made cauliflower grits from an earlier recipe, Paleo Shrimp and Grits. The flavor of these "grits" go better with the recipe than just plain, boring cauliflower rice.

    There are two ways you can go about making this meal. I made the cauliflower grits ahead of time, but you can make the cauliflower grits while the sausage and shrimp are cooking. I was also cooking green beans, so I didn't want to worry about green beans, cauliflower, and shrimp and sausage all at the same time!

       First,  I cut a large head of cauliflower (you may need two) into small florets and pulse them in a food processor until they are "grits-like." 

     Heat coconut oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add cauliflower and cook for about six minutes. Then add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, 3/4 cup almond flour, and salt, pepper, and butter to taste. Stir all ingredients together. *It's important to taste and adjust flavors in your grits. Add more butter or salt if necessary. If you're a true southerner, add something spicy! Continue to cook for about 12 minutes. Set aside

Jambalaya time!

    Jambalaya calls for andouille sausage, but the only andouille Kroger had was made with mostly corn: corn syrup, corn solids, and preservatives made from corn. That's not andouille sausage. So I experimented and went with chorizo. I was not disappointed :)

   First, chop two small bell peppers- one red and one yellow. Then dice half an onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Slice sausage and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook until onions become translucent.

    Then stir in one 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes, 1 tablepsoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of thyme, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. (Sprinkle some Tony Chachere's if you love it!) Once those ingredients are well mixed, pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken stock. Stir and let simmer for 20 minutes. (At this point, if you haven't made the cauliflower, do it now!)

   Lastly, add 1 pound of peeled, deveined shrimp. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Multi-Tasking! I need a bigger stove.

 You can simply place the shrimp and sausage mixture on top of the cauliflower, or you can mix it all together in true jambalaya fashion!

Here's the final product!

Delicious and very filling. Let's be honest here- it's difficult to make a jambalaya recipe that resembles a great New Orleans jambalaya dish. A lot of restaurants around the country try and fail. But I'd say this makes a good substitute. Next time, I might make blackened shrimp and add it at the very end!

Here's a more compact recipe.

Question to Readers: What southern specialty do you love? I've recently had a craving for red beans and rice!

Good night!