Seitanic Red and White Bean Jambalaya

Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero is my favorite cookbook right now. It's been sitting on my shelf for years and I'm just now using it!  This time, I decided to make the Seitanic Red and White Bean Jambalaya. It turned out great so I'm sharing it with you!

Ingredients

• 6 T olive oil
• 1 lb. seitan, diced or pulled apart into bite-size pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, cut into small dice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 heaping Tblsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 cups long-grain brown rice, brown or white
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (Muir Glen is my favorite)
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans
• 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans
• 1 bay leaf
• 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika and 1/4 tsp cayenne OR 3 tsp of Cajun seasoning (I used Cajun seasoning)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp salt
• Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions:
Whew, that sure is a lot of ingredients!  This dish takes 1 hour 35 minutes or so to make so please be sure you have enough time! The recipe states that it makes 6 servings, but upon first glance, it appeared to make much more than that.

You start by preheating a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.  Sautee the seitan in 2T of the olive oil for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the seitan from the pot and set aside.

 

Then, add the remaining olive oil to the pot and stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic -- saute for 12 to 14 minutes until the vegetables are soft.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently for another 4 minutes.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of veg stock to deglaze the veggies, cook for 30 seconds, then add the rice. Stir the rice for about 4 minutes, then stir in the diced tomatoes, seitan, beans, bay leaf, all the spices, and the salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, pour in the veg broth, and return to a simmer. Taste the broth and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer it all to a deep casserole dish or use two smaller dishes, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 35 minutes if using white rice and 45+ minutes if using brown rice. The reason I write 45 minutes plus is because some of my rice didn't cook in that time so be sure to check it before turning the oven off -- it may need more time.

Remove it from the oven, stir the jambalaya, then cover and allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

This dish had some great spice to it. I loved the mixture of beans, rice, and veggies -- a well-balanced one casserole meal!