A Twist on Paella

If you've never had the opportunity to try paella, you really should find a Spanish restaurant and order it. Famous in the coastal regions of Spain (particularly Barcelona) the seafood and rice dish can easily fill you with a single helping. But, one of the main ingredients in paella is saffron... Between the $20 jar of saffron, paella rice, and the mix of seafood, you can easily spend $60 making paella for a family dinner. This variation uses sage instead of saffron, wild and brown rice instead of paella rice, and meat from land animals instead of seafood. 




Ingredients

- 1 white onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 carrots 
- 1 lb boneless chicken
- 3 oz ham 
- 1 cup wild/red/brown rice mix (whatever sort of healthy mix you're able to find)
- 1-1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 zucchini
- 1 (14oz) can chopped tomatoes (of course, fresh is always better)
- 2 sprigs of fresh sage, plus some for garnish

[Use homegrown or organic veggies to make this a clean meal]
1.  Chop the onion, mince the garlic, dice the carrot and slice the celery.  Put these plus the sage all in a large pan (I used a paella pan) and add the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Step 1

2. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes.  Add the chicken to the pan, cover and let cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes and rice to the pan.  Season with s&p.  Mix well.  Bring it back up to a boil and cover.  Simmer for about 20 min, or until rice is almost done.  While that's cooking, dice the ham.

Step 3

4. Uncover, then add the zucchini and ham.  Cook another 10 minutes until rice is done and broth is all absorbed.

5.  Remove the cooked sage sprigs and replace with fresh leaves before serving.


I wasn't paying attention to what the butcher was doing when I ordered the ham, and he gave me sandwich slices.  Make sure to ask for thick slices!

This health dish gets your veggies, meat and carbs all in one.  Add a fresh side salad and you're set.