Savory Jambalaya & Healthy Rosemary Almond Cookies

Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend Girls' Night at Teresa's house on June the 23rd (wow, I am behind on posts) but I was sent the recipes to share with everyone.

Her Jambalaya recipe is as follows:

(Serves 4-6)

4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2#)
table salt and ground black pepper
5 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 pound andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 1/2 c long grain white rice
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (8oz) bottle clam juice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 pound large shrimp (31-40 per pound), peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tsp of oil in skillet over med-high.  Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Cook until sides are golden. Set aside on plate.
2. Add andouille and cook in skillet until light brown. Set aside.
3. Add remaining 3 tsp of oil to skillet.  Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and 1/2 tsp salt, cook until onion is softened.  Add rice and stir until edges turn translucent.  Stir in tomatoes, clam juice and chicken broth, bring to a simmer. Add chicken. Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender (~35-40mins)
4. Stir in the shrimp and sausage. Stir in parsley. Season w/ salt, pepper and cayenne or hot sauce.

Sounds amazing! Normally I wouldn't have been able to eat this dinner due to a shellfish allergy but T was nice enough to offer to prepare me a serving that was shellfish-free. So, feel free to omit it as well if you have the same problem or just don't care for seafood much. It's sure to be just as delicious.

Now, being the nutritionist in the group, Teresa found a healthy recipe for cookies. I am a SUCKER for rosemary in anything so I will definitely be trying this recipe out in the near future.

Almond Rosemary Cookies:

INGREDIENTS2 cups Almonds (soaked in water ~2 hours)
4 sprigs fresh Rosemary
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Real Maple Syrup
2 Egg Whites or 1 whole egg

DIRECTIONS1) Heat oven to 325
2) Place soaked almonds and rosemary in food processor. Run until a fine meal is produced.
3) Place almond meal mixture in medium bowl and stir int the other dry ingredients, baking soda and salt.
4) Add the maple syrup and mix well
5) Put egg whites or egg in food processor and mix until light a fluffy
6) Add egg to batter
7) Using a tablespoon drop dough onto greased or nonstick cookie sheet.
8) Bake ~15 min or until golden brown

Again I wasn't there to enjoy these but it sounds like they would pair well with a cup of after-dinner coffee (a little Bailey's in there for me).

More great recipes on their way...

Amanda