Not-So-Fat Fat Tuesday

Who doesn't love Mardi Gras?  I mean, you gotta love the beads, the music, the partying, the excess of yummy Nawlins foods...  Good stuff, right?

Of course, it comes right on the heels of the New Year aka Resolution Time.  So what if you want to eat lower fat, lower cholesterol, lower calorie foods?  Are you outta luck on the bayou?  No sirree.  With a  few modifications, you can make a nice, hot 'n' spicy, jambalaya!

Skinny Tuesday Jambalaya

Ingredients

- 1 block of tofu
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- pinch of cayenne (go light of you don't want too hot; go heavy if you want a real kick!)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- 1  1/2 stalk celery, chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 can diced tomato (want it REALLY hot? Grab a can with jalapenos or green chiles!)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of hot sauce (I like hot wing sauce; use what you like)
- 3/4 cup white rice
- 3 cups chicken stock (keep an extra cup on reserve)
- 1/2 link, smoked chicken kielbasa, thickly sliced

Directions

Drain tofu really well by placing it between paper towels and placing weights on top.  After the tofu has drained (about 10 - 15 minutes), cut the tofu into blocks and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle seasonings (soy sauce through cayenne) over the tofu and set aside.

Meanwhile, put oil in deep, large saute pan and place over high heat.  Add onions, celery, green pepper, and saute until tender (about 5 minutes).


Add garlic through hot sauce, stir and let cook about 1 minute.

Add rice and stir. Immediately begin adding the stock, but do so in a slow, steady stream, all the while stirring.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until just about all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. This should take about 20 minutes. Give the Nawlins love a stir here and there. (We're kind of cooking risotto-style here.)

Taste the rice towards the end of cooking, make sure the rice is tender.  If you need, add some more stock.

Gently fold in the tofu and the kielbasa, allowing both "meats" to mingle with the rest of the ingredients and get all warm and yummy.

Pour a tall glass of your favorite Nawlins drink (I like hurricanes!), spoon your jambalaya into a bowl, and enjoy!