Paella / Jambalaya Twofer One Recipes

Being single things can get forgotten about and go bad so I try to make two recipes at a time that use up the ingredients I bought. You can buy sausages and ham in whatever quantity you want at the butcher counter and chicken usually is sold in 1 pound packages especially if it is on sale which is how I like to shop. Since onions and peppers can get forgotten sometimes I wanted to use the whole onion and pepper in these recipes, same with the can of tomatoes and chicken broth. I recommend making one of these dishes one night and freeze half of it for the next week and do the same the next night with the other one. If you made the meatball soup and meatloaf from yesterday and froze half of them you could rotate the dishes in your lineup for dinner so you can have a little variety without too much effort.

Paella

½ pound skinless boneless chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ pound hot Italian sausages (or Spanish Chorizo)

½ onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

½ red bell pepper, chopped

½ can tomatoes

1 teaspoon Paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

½ cup rice

½ cup water

½ can chicken broth

1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

 In a skillet with a lid heat the olive oil. Add the chicken, season it with salt and cook for about 5 minutes and then add the sausages, onions, garlic and peppers and cook another 5 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, ham, cumin, paprika, rice, water and broth. Cover the pan and continue cooking over low heat for about 20 minutes. When the rice becomes tender add the artichoke hearts and continue to simmer over low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes. Makes 2 (and maybe a snack) servings.

 Jambalaya

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ onion, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

8 ounces diced chicken

4 ounces diced ham

½ can tomatoes

½ can chicken broth

½ cup water

½ cup rice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Thyme

1 teaspoon Oregano

½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper

 In a soup pot heat the olive oil over medium heat and add onion, pepper, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and continue cooking another 5 minutes. Add the ham, tomatoes, broth and water and bring to a boil. Add the rice and spices. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes and cook until rice is tender and broth has been absorbed.  Makes 2 servings (with maybe a snack).