Creole Vegetables and Basmati Rice

Creole Vegetables on Basmati Rice

The husband: "What are you doing over there, blogging?"
The wife: "Probably not - I don't think I have anything to write about. You told me dinner was weird."
The husband: "You still have to blog about it!"


The husband likes to give me a hard time every now and then and pick on my little blog. A couple of weeks ago I couldn't decide what to pack myself for lunch and the husband suggested a turkey sandwich - and it was a Monday! He said, "Don't worry, I won't tell your little blogger friends." (Apparently he thinks y'all are small since you live in my computer. I hope you don't mind.) But all joking aside, the husband is supportive, which is exactly why he ate the underwhelming dinner I served him tonight and encouraged me to share the experience with you. What a silly guy.




Before I continue, though, I have to admit that I have no prior experience with Creole dishes. I've been to Louisiana - once - but that's about the extent of my knowledge. Is jambalaya Cajun or Creole? What's the difference between jambalaya and gumbo? Is there a difference? I have no idea! But I still wanted to make this recipe for Creole Vegetables and Basmati Rice. It sounded interesting and it was meatless, which meant it was perfect for our meatless meal of the week. (We opted to eat leftovers last night and pushed Meatless Monday to Tuesday. Don't hold it against us.)


Luckily I had picked this recipe out yesterday, so I knew it'd require a bit of chopping. The amount of prep actually reminded of making Curry-Spiced Noodles, but, as you'll see, the outcome was the complete opposite. 

I chopped and stirred and chopped and stirred some more. I started the rice before I started the veggies, afraid the rice would take quite awhile to cook, but I could have waited a bit. The basmati rice cooked perfectly in 20 minutes on the stovetop. Not only was the rice quick and easy, but it also made the husband really happy, which was good. He actually finished his bowl of veggies and rice and filled up a second bowl of just rice. I think the rice made up for the rest of this meal's oddness in the husband's book.

As I mentioned, I have no idea if this recipe tasted just as it was supposed to or if someone familiar with Creole food would say it was spot on. All I know is that it was called Creole Vegetables and Basmati Rice in my cookbook, so that's what I'm going with. But to me, celery doesn't really go nicely with peppers and onions. I thought the roasted tomatoes and mushroom slices were great, but as soon as I got a bite of celery, "oooh, that was weird" was all I could think. 

This dish was great because it was low in fat and calories - and filled with nutritious vegetables, from celery to zucchini - but I don't think it'll be making another appearance at our dinner table. We do have about a pound of basmati rice in the pantry now, though, so at least this wasn't a complete failure in the husband's eyes. (He's the one who encouraged me to share this with you, remember? There was obviously something he liked about dinner, even if it was only a bowl of white rice!)

Thanks for being such a good sport, Husband, and thanks for your time, my little blogging friends. Hopefully I'll make another recipe out of this new-to-me unpublished cookbook that's a bit better and share my secret source with you. Till then, how'd this one sound to you? Do Creole dishes usually contain a big ol' mess of veggies like this dish?