Vegetarian Jambalaya

Ingredients

Marinated Eggplant

• 1 1/2 cups eggplant, peeled and diced
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2 1/2 tsp. paprika
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground sage
• 1/4 tsp. vegetable seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Jambalaya

• 3/4 cup onions, diced
• 3/4 cup celery, diced
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced
• 3/4 cup red bell peppers, sliced
• 1 cup zucchini, diced
• 1/2 tsp. ground thyme
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• Pinch saffron
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 cups rice (white or brown), cooked
• 3 cups black-eyed peas, drained

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For eggplant: Lightly coat a baking sheet with a small amount of olive oil. In a large bowl, combine eggplant, olive oil, paprika, black pepper, sage, vegetable seasoning and cayenne pepper. Toss well. Spread evenly oven coated baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

For Jambalaya: In a pan, add olive oil, onions and celery and saute until translucent. Add garlic, tomatoes, red bell peppers, zucchini and black eyed peas, simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme, salt and saffron, simmer for an additional 10 minutes. While simmering, add eggplant mixture to cooked rice, mixing well. When vegetables are done simmering, gently toss into the eggplant and rice mixture.