Have you ever celebrated Mardi Gras? The Rex’s have been to the Mardi Gras celebrations in both New Orleans and Galveston, TX which do it up in style with a huge parade. Big brass bands, baubles, beads, and beer beyond belief! OK…I’ll quit with the excessive alliteration! It was Mardi Gras this past Tuesday (AKA: Fat Tuesday) and to celebrate we made a zero-rice jambalaya! 

Gumbo would have to be one of my all-time favorite Cajun dishes, but a close second would be jambalaya. It is Packed with cajun spices, a tomato-y sauce, andouille sausage and OooEE are you in for a treat! You may already know the Cajun ‘holy trinity’ is onions, green bell peppers and celery – well I have an allergy/sensitivity to green bell peppers so I used some red bell pepper and jalapeno instead. We think it gave a beautiful vibrant color to the dish. Then, instead of rice, we took a half head of cauliflower and riced it in our Blendtec blender.

Cauliflower in the blender full of water. Mr. T has such beautiful knife skills (for such short arms)! 

Just look at how vibrant it all is in the pot!

Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

½ white onion, diced
4 stalks of celery
1 jalapeno, diced
¼ red bell pepper, diced
2 links andouille sausage, halved and sliced
½ head of cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp oregano
Salt & pepper
2 cups, canned crushed red tomatoes, (like Muir Glen Fire Roasted)
1 tsp hot sauce
½ bag frozen okra
6oz shrimp
Green onions (to garnish)

To create your ‘rice’: put florets in a blender, cover with water to the ‘max’ line in your blender. Pulse on high for 5-10 seconds or until all large chunks have reduced to be small ‘rice’ sized. Pour in a colander lined with paper towels to drain off excess water.

Heat up a pot with olive oil on medium heat. Add in onions, celery, jalapeno, peppers and andouille sausage. Let cook for 5 minutes.  Add in your cauli-rice, garlic and seasonings. Let toast for another 5 minutes until onion and celery are slightly softened. Add in your tomatoes and hot sauce. Mix together – when the sauce starts getting bubbly (about 5 minutes) add in your okra and shrimp. Cook 6-8 minutes until shrimp are cooked through. Top with green onions.

Serves: 6

Estimated Nutrition Stats (per serving): Calories – 172 | Fat – 6g | Carbs – 17g | Net carbs – 11g | Fiber – 5g | Protein – 14g

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