You know, when you look at a recipe book and most of the entries say “Add all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours“, you start getting skeptical. That’s exactly what I felt when my wife brought the “Everything Vegan Slow Cooker Cookbook” from the library this past weekend, until I saw the recipe for vegan jambalaya made with tempeh and cooked in a slow cooker. I mean, I love N’awlins and Creole cooking since I went to school near New Orleans and have incredibly fond memories. I had to try this one.

Vegan Jambalaya

The ingredient list is pretty straightforward and everything you expect in a Creole dish, though without the meat. Here’s what you need to make the vegan jambalaya:

• 1 package tempeh, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 2 to 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 5 cups of water with 2 cubes of vegetable bouillon
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp Creole seasoning
• ¼ tsp powdered thyme
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Okay here goes: Add all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours. 🙂 Seriously, that’s all there is to it! Told ya, didn’t I? I love Tony Chachere’s for the Creole seasoning and it’s simply the best (though I was out and ended up using a different seasoning). The vegan jambalaya was done in about 2 hours, so you do need to watch out when the liquid is completely gone. It could also be because I set the slow cooker in high.

Some feedback from my family. The 11yo says: “Couldn’t really tell it was Tempeh, it’s good” and my 9yo: “I think we should call it Tempehlaya“. Achievement Unlocked! I think next up, I’m thinking of making vegan beignets for dessert; Hmm, to die for.

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