Smoked Sausage & Okra Dirty Rice

Long time, no see!  I am having a heck of a time finding TIME with the kids out of school.  Time to myself, to quietly sit at the computer, blog, play, whatever.  Plus, my husband was out of town all week last week so I REALLY had no time.  This week is going to be the week that I find some kind of routine I can live with for the summer.  Tomorrow, I am even going to get back to the gym, something I didn't manage all week last week.

I wish I would have done the nutritional info for this recipe, maybe I still will get it done tomorrow.  I do think this is a pretty healthy recipe aside from the sausage.  If you want to make it healthier, you could easily sub the regular sausage for a turkey sausage.  If you do decide to do that, you may need to use some Cajun seasoning to spice things up because much of the spice in this rice comes from the sausage.

Give it a try!  It really was great!

Smoked Sausage & Okra Dirty Rice

Serves 6-8

4 c. water

2 1/2 c. long-grain white rice

Salt

2 Tbsp. cooking oil

1 lb. smoked hot pork sausage links, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 lb. sliced frozen okra; thawed

2 medium onions, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 c. chicken broth

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

6 scallions, thinly sliced

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a 4 Qt. heavy saucepan.  Add rice and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed.and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes, the fluff rice with a fork and keep covered.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a lg. heavy skillet over med-high heat until hot but not smoking.  Add sausage, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 2-3 minutes; transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl.  Add okra to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to another bowl.

Heat remaining Tbsp. oil in skillet over med-high heat until hot but not smoking.  Add onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add okra, broth, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper, bring to a simmer, and simmer, uncovered stirring occasionally, until liquid is slightly thickened and reduced to just below surface of solids, 10-15 minutes. 

Stir in sausage and toss with rice, scallions, and salt and pepper to taste.

Source: Adapted from Gourmet Today