I took a weekend trip down south a few months ago, and one of the things I loved was the food. Southern food is not exactly health food, but it is certainly delicious.

In New Orleans, creole rice is on every menu. Sometimes with sausage, sometimes with crawfish, occasionally plain, it’s just something that’s everywhere, probably because it goes with everything.

After eating it a few times, and really enjoying it, I decided to make my own when I got home. I am not terribly familiar with authentic creole cooking, but wanted something that had some of the flavor, without a lot of trouble, that was maybe a little bit nutritious. Am I asking too much? Probably.

The end result of my experiment was pretty easy, not exactly authentic, but super tasty. I used a blend of brown and wild rice, Ava Jane’s Kitchen Blackened Fish seasoning, and the holy trinity of Cajun cooking — onions, bell peppers, and celery. I made this as a side dish, but you could easily add sausage or shrimp (or both!) and make it a meal.

Serves 4

Prep time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Ava Jane’s Kitchen Extra Virgin Avocado Oil

1 onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon AJK Blackened Fish spice blend

1 cup wild rice or blend

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups broth

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers, and cook until soft. Add the garlic and Blackened Fish. Stir and cook for another minute.

Stir in the rice and stir for a minute.

Add the tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook according to the package directions on your rice.

When done cooking, turn off heat and let sit covered for 5-10 minutes.

Remove cover, fluff rice with a fork and serve.

Easy to download PDF:  Easy Creole Rice