Meatless Brown Rice Jambalaya

Here’s a vegan take on a southern classic. This brown rice jambalaya gets a Tex-Mex-inspired flavor from an assortment of spices, including paprika, cayenne and cumin. Black-eye peas and collard greens add both texture and nutrients to the dish that makes for a filling and dinner. Maybe best of all, this recipe serves six, which means it can make plenty of leftovers if you’re feeding a smaller group.

This recipe is from Phoebe Lapine for Think Rice.

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Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsps Olive Oil, divided
• 1 Bunch Collard greens, thick stems removed and thinly sliced
• Sea Salt & Pepper
• Small Yellow Onion
• Red Bell Pepper, finely diced
• 2 Celery Stalks, thinly sliced
• Large Jalapeno, minced, seeds & ribs removed
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 Tsp Paprika
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/4 Tsp Cayenne
• 2 Cups Chopped Tomatoes
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
• 8 Cups Vegetable Stock
• 2 Cups Dried Black-Eyed Peas, soaked overnight
• 2 Cups U.S. Long Grain Brown Rice
• 1 Bunch Scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsps Chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the collard greens and stir-fry until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a plate. Set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil along with the onions, bell pepper, and celery, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the jalapeno, garlic, smoked paprika, regular paprika, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 2 minutes more, until very fragrant, then add the tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and allow the tomato mixture to thicken slightly.

Pour in the stock, black-eyed peas, and brown rice. Bring to a boil, partially cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peas and rice have grown in size, but still have quite a bite to them. Cover the pot completely and continue cooking over low heat, undisturbed, until tender (but not mushy) and all of the liquid has been absorbed, another 20 minutes.

Fold in the collard greens and half the scallions. Cover and cook until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.

Season the vegetarian jambalaya with parsley, the remaining scallions, and serve warm.

Note: If you don’t have time to soak the peas in advance, you can a) cover them with boiling water for 10 minutes, or b) start with canned black-eyed peas. For the latter, simply cut the amount of stock in half, and add the rinsed beans to the pot when you fold in the collard greens in step 4.