One Pot Wonder

I absolutely love the change of the seasons every year and really enjoy the special qualities that each season has to offer but Autumn is probably my favorite 🍂🍁 I love the crisp clean air, the colors all around, the blue skies and the sunshine that Autumn brings. 

You can get a real feel of Autumn in the air already.  Saturday morning was the first time we had to wear our woolly hats on the beach this year and there was something really comforting about it.

The cooler weather means we're now changing from salads to stews.

We're all looking for nice dinners that we don't have to spend hours prepping and cooking and what's more, we don't want to have loads of pots to wash up afterwards... 

That's why I hear singing when I hear those beautiful words "one pot wonder" 🎼 
Forget "Maria" in West Side Story, this is the most beautiful sound you'll ever hear...  Say it low and it's almost like praying 😂

If you like hearty meals with a nice little kick of spice then this veggie jambalaya is for you...

I'd normally make this with chicken and chorizo and I have to tell you it's one of the tastiest dinners I ever had. Since meat is out the window now I used red kidney beans and chickpeas instead and I swear it was better than the meaty version, it even got the Liam seal of approval. 

Trust me on this, you have to give it a go :)

Ingredients
1 chopped onion
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 green pepper diced
1 red pepper diced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 litre of vegetable stock
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
3 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
300g (dry) brown rice rinsed
50g frozen corn
50g frozen peas
1 tin of chickpeas rinsed
1 tin red kidney beans rinsed

Instructions

• Heat a large pan on a medium heat with a little water. Add the onion, and garlic and saute until soft. 

• Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, herbs, spices, sauces and rice. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed, around 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it near the end and stir occasionally to stop the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

• Once the rice is tender, stir in the peppers, frozen veg and the beans and taste. Add salt and pepper if needed. The jambalaya is ready once the beans are heated through.

...It really is that easy!!!  This recipe makes 4 good portions and will keep in the fridge for a few days (only it won't last that long).

It ticks so many box's because it's quick, simple, tasty, healthy and you most likely have all the ingredients in the press already.

I'd love to hear if you make it, how you managed without any meat and what you thought of it.

Let me know in the comments or email me bammurph@eircom.net.

Have a great day :)