2014 Vegan MOFO - Day 9 - Filthy Cajun Rice

Today's recipe features the following ingredients from the Chow Locally box:

Dried onions (I really don't know why they are listed as dried, they are regular white onions) from Sleeping Frog Farms - These great onions are a staple ingredient for innumerable recipes. Store these in a cool dry location, such as a pantry away from any potatoes.

Mixd Bell Peppers from Crooked Sky Farms - Bell peppers are a nice vegetable to use in cooked or fresh meals. Their crunch adds texture to salads, or they can be sliced up for snacks. Store in the fridge crisper.

I had planned to make something with the giant pattypan squashes I got in the box this week, but suddenly, I went an entirely different direction. We had a significant flood here last night. It certainly wasn't the magnitude of Katrina, but the images on the TV reminded me of what the folks in Louisiana endured back then. I thought it fitting to do something Cajun inspired. This is my play on Dirty Rice. Tempeh stands in for the flecks of meat. Somehow I forgot the garlic when I made mine, it still tastes really good without it, but I put it in the recipe cuz it should be there!! Look at dat! You know you want some.

Filthy Cajun Rice

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Cajun Spice Mix

2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme

Blend in a small bowl and set aside.

2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
1 - 8 oz package tempeh
1 medium white or yellow onion, medium dice
1 bell pepper (green is traditional, but I used a light yellow one), medium dice
1 stalk celery, medium dice
2 cloves minced garlic
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 cup short grain brown rice
1 - 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, liquid drained
1 tablespoon creole or other hot mustard

In a 4 quart dutch oven or other pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat slightly over medium heat. Crumble tempeh into pot. Saute until the tempeh has browned, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning, about 7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Sauté the holy trinity of cajun and creole cooking: onions, celery and bell pepper in 1 tablespoon of oil until just softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until it is just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add Cajun Spice mix and sauté for another minute. Add browned tempeh, broth, rice and liquid smoke. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer covered for 45 minutes. DO NOT LIFT THE LID! Turn off heat and let sit for 15 minutes. It is really important to leave the lid in place for the whole time without peaking or the rice will not cook all the way through and you will be sad.

After the 15 minutes has passed, stir in tomatoes and mustard. Let sit for a few minutes to let the tomatoes warm up.

Serve over sautéed greens.

I'm excited to announce the winner of this week's Chow Locally share box…

#6 Cindy P! Yay! I'll be contacting you today to set up your chow locally pickup point. Thanks to all who participated. You can have another chance to win next Monday, so be sure to come back and comment then!