Seafood Paella

Although I usually subscribe to a pescatarian diet, I don't always hold myself to strict rules. Sometimes I'll taste a bite of a great steak, try some llama kabobs, have a gardenburger with real bacon*, or cook a dish that just tastes better with the real thing. Veggie Sausage is all well and good for many things, but a Paella just tastes better with some real sausage in it, in my opinion. So we used chicken Andouille style sausage, along with prawns, in this Seafood Paella.

Seafood Paella
1/2 pound Andouille chicken sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup white onion, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tspn chili powder
1 tspn cayenne pepper
1 tspn cumin
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 cups white rice
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 pound shrimp in shell
1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas w/ mushrooms
Lemon wedges for garnish

In large deep skillet cook sausage until brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Discard fat. Heat oil in the skillet. Add onion, pepper, garlic, chili powder, cayenne, cumin and turmeric. Saute for 3 minutes. Add rice and stir until coated. Add the sausage and broth, cover pan and simmer slowly for 15 minutes. Uncover pan, season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, press the shrimp tails into the rice, scatter the peas & mushrooms. Do not stir the rice. Cover the pan and cook another 8 to 10 minutes until rice and shrimp are cooked. Serve with lemon wedges.

(adapted from AllRecipes.com)



* I also assert that bacon is a spice.