Cooking Up A Hooley In The Kitchen
By Katie Gagne
~~ The Best Salad Ever ~~
It’s that time of year again. Time to get back on track – watch what we eat, eat healthier, get more sleep, more exercise. We all usually start out great. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, less sugar, less carbs, lean meats and of course tons of salad. My salad here is probably one you want to reserve for the end of the month, after you cannot eat one more green leafy thing. While this is called a “salad” it has little resemblance to what you have been eating. Yet, I am sure you will love this tasty twist on my absolute favorite food – Jambalaya. This recipe is a cold adaptation of the Jambalaya recipe that was in the February 2018 issue.
Cold Jambalaya Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 cups uncooked rice
6 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups of smoked sausage cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped yellow or white onion
6 chopped garlic cloves
3 teaspoons oregano
3 teaspoons thyme
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 lbs cooked and deveined shrimp
1 pound of diced chicken breast
1 of each – green, red, yellow and orange pepper – diced
2 jalapeno peppers – diced
4 green onion stalks (scallions) – whites and greens – chopped
4 celery stalks – diced
2 pts cherry tomatoes – red or yellow – halved
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons fresh chives – chopped
2 teaspoons fresh parsley – chopped
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro – chopped
Preparation
Prepare rice and cool.
Mix all dried spices together in small bowl – you’ll be using these to season each part of the salad
Cook onion and sausage in skillet until heated both are slightly charred
Drain and set aside in a bowl
Season with spice mixture
Use the same skillet and cook the chicken, seasoned with spice mixture.
Thaw and cut up shrimp into bite-size pieces, season with garlic and lime juice –set aside
Cook all peppers and celery seasoned with spices, just for a quick bit – 5 minutes – just to soften slightly – they should still have a little crunch to them.
In a large bowl, combine the rice with the warm veggie mixture
Add in the sausage, chicken and shrimp. Toss until combined.
Halve the cherry tomatoes and dice the green onions.
Toss together in the bowl, add in the red wine vinegar and mix until combined and top with some chives, parsley and cilantro.
Wrap and chill for 2-3 hours or overnight.
Enjoy!!
*Katie Gagne teaches English at Trinity High School in Garfield Heights. She is also the owner of her in-home bakery Sassy’s Sweets and Oh So Much More. You can contact her at (440) 773-4459 or at [email protected].
