Vegan Jambalaya

I've mentioned before that new foods scare me sometimes. But I took the plunge on another one last week because my hubby was interested in trying it - black eyed peas. We used them in this tasty jambalaya-esque dish and now we both can add another food to our like lists. Mr. G isn't a fan of anything spicy, but both vegan sausage and chili powder would be good additions, so they're listed as optional ingredients.

Vegan Jambalaya Ingredients •  1 tablespoon oil (I used grape seed oil) •  1 medium onion, chopped •  1 chopped pepper/capsicum (I used bell pepper, feel free to also add hot pepper) •  1/2 teaspoon thyme •  2 cloves minced garlic •  3/4 cup basmati rice  •  2 1/2 cups vegetable broth •  2-3 tablespoons tomato paste  •  15 ounce can black eyed peas, rinsed •  1-2 zucchini optional:   •  1/2 cup vegan sausage, crumbled (I like Mexican Chipotle by Field Roast)  •  1/2 teaspoon chili powder Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add onion, pepper, and thyme. Cook for 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and rice, cook for about a minute. Add the vegetable broth and tomato paste, season with salt and pepper as needed. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn heat down to low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. While it cooks, cut the zucchini down the center (scrape out seeds if preferred), then slice in half moon shapes. Add the black eyed peas and zucchini to skillet (and sausage/chili powder if using). Cook for about 10 more minutes, until rice is ready. Enjoy!

This made a little more than 3 servings. Let me know what you think if you try it!