Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Having spent a few years in Louisiana, I became quite enamored with Cajun cuisine.  Jambalaya is one of the dishes I very much enjoy so I tried several approaches and combined elements to make a dish that I could really enjoy with my family.  This version is slightly less spicy than I would like, but I toned it down so my kids would eat it.  You can always increase the Tony Chacheres (the original recipe called for 4tbsp in this quantity).  Or, you can add cayenne pepper, hot sauce, etc, either at the table or while preparing.  For this version, I use pre-smoked chicken - in other words, I slow smoke some whole chickens over a hardwood fire when I have an opportunity, pull the meat from the bones and freeze it for use in this or other dishes.  I then use the carcases to make the chicken broth.  Two whole hens will typically yield 3-4 lbs of meat and 3-4 quarts of broth.

Ingredients:
2 lbs smoked chicken (pulled)
2 lbs smoked sausage (sliced)
3 cups long grain rice (uncooked)
1 tbsp butter
3 medium onions (diced)
6 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp salt
3-4 cloves garlic (diced)
1 cup green onions (chopped)
1/2 cup bell peppers (diced)
1/2 cup celery (diced)
1 tsp black pepper
2.5 tbsp Tony Chacheres or similar cajun / creole seasoning blend

Directions:
1. Saute onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper until soft

2. Add cooked chicken and sausage

3. Add chicken broth and seasonings and bring to a boil

4. Add rice and bring back to a boil. 

5. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.  Turn rice

6. Cover with tight fitting lid and steam for 15 minutes or until rice is tender.

7. Turn rice once more and turn the fire off.  Let stand for 10 minutes and then serve.

Creamy Coconut Zucchini Soup

Wanted to try something different tonight.  Ran across a basic coconut zucchini soup recipe and modified it to suit me.  This turned out to be quite tasty.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion (finely chopped)
4 cloves garlic (more or less to taste)
4 cups zucchini (grated)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if preferred)
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (Thai Kitchen brand)*
1.25 tsp red pepper flakes

* I normally don't specify a brand because everyone has their own preference.  However, I've discovered that there is a wide range of differences in taste and consistency between different brands of coconut milk.  So, I thought it best to specify the brand I used because using a different brand could alter your results.
Directions:

1. Saute onion, garlic, and zucchini in butter until onion and zucchini are softened.

2. Season with salt and pepper

3. Add broth and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes

4. Puree solids in blender and return to broth.  Stir to mix.

5. Add coconut milk and stir to mix.

6. Add red pepper flakes to taste