Paleo Jambalaya with Cauliflower Rice | Recipe

Living in the south, and especially during our time near New Orleans, we have eaten our fair share of Jambalaya. Jambalaya is a Cajun or Creole one pot dinner, a thick dish of rice with almost any combination of meat and vegetables, typically containing fresh seafood as well. What could be more paleo than that? You just have to paleo-ize that rice and use cauliflower instead. We found the following recipe and absolutely LOVE it. You can’t even tell there’s not rice unless you know too so it’s always fun to serve to guests who don’t know 🙂

• 1 lb boneless chicken (or about 2 cups cooked chicken), pork, game meat or other meat of choice (we did chicken)
• Andoille sausage, approx 6-8 oz., sliced. Try to find sugar free, nitrate free. (We like Aidells)
• 1/2 to 1 lb shrimp, crawdads (we did fresh gulf coast shrimp)
• 1 or 2 bell peppers and one onion, any color combination (diced)
• 2-3 stalks celery, organic preferred, sliced thin
• 1/2 to 1 cup each, carrots & zucchini, sliced, diced or julienned
• Chicken broth, about 2 cups (we did homemade from the chicken)
• 4 tomatoes (diced) or a can of diced tomatoes
• 1 to 2 cups okra, sliced (fresh if available or frozen unbreaded)
• Salt, pepper, chile powder, cumin, parsley, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, bay leaf, sage (to taste)
• Cauliflower “rice”–approx 2 cups of cauliflower florets finely chopped by hand or in food processor to look like rice 

• Lightly brown chicken (boneless breasts or thighs are quickest, but you could use pieces and remove meat from bone) in oil over medium-high heat (or use any leftover cooked meat)
• Substitute about a pound of any meat or combination of meats you wish. 
• Remove from skillet and cut into bite size pieces; then put it in a large pot with 2 or 3 cups chicken broth or stock and the diced tomatoes.
• Season the broth with about 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper, 1/4 t. sage, 2 bay leaves * Note: makes ure you remove these before serving * 1/4 t. dry mustard, and 1/4 to 1/2 t. cayenne pepper. Add paprika, thyme, chili powder, parsley flakes, garlic powder if desired.
• Simmer.
• Brown sliced andoille sausage in the same skillet, then add to soup pot.
• Add more oil to the pan if needed and start sauteing vegetables.
• Add the carrots to the pan first, then the celery, bell peppers, and zucchini, ending with the onion and garlic.
• Add these items to the stew pot once they are softened.
• Add the okra to the pan.
• After the okra starts to brown you can put it in with everything else in the stew pot.
• Add the cauli-rice to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
• Last thing in the pot will be your shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed. (or substitute frozen shrimp or crawdads)
• You might need to add another cup of broth or water.
• The dish should be fairly thick but you need enough liquid to steam the shrimp or fish.
• Cover and cook until the shrimp are done.