Saffron Paella
Serves 2
Paella is a classic Spanish dish that is easy to make but looks impressive. If you need to reduce sodium in your diet, use homemade chicken stock so you can control the amount of salt or substitute water for the stock.
1-1/4 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 pinch saffron threads
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red pepper, diced small
2 ounces pre-cooked andouille or chorizo sausage, sliced
1/2 cup long grain rice
6 large shrimp
6 mussels
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Red Chili Flakes (to taste)
Heat chicken stock for about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes in the microwave and dissolve saffron in the stock. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium high heat; add onion and red pepper and cook until barely soft. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and rice and cook one minute, then add saffron stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir rice, then lay shrimp and mussels on top of partially cooked rice, replace cover, and cook until rice has absorbed all the liquid, the shrimp are cooked, and the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes more. Discard any unopened mussels and sprinkle entire dish with parsley. Add salt, pepper, and chili flakes to taste, then serve immediately.
Notes: Some types of rice require longer cooking time and/or more liquid, so adjust cooking time and quantity of stock according to rice package directions; add seafood 5 minutes before rice is finished cooking.
Paella can be made with a wide variety of meats or seafood. To reduce the fat and cholesterol in this dish, substitute chicken breasts (cut into small chunks so they cook quickly) and white fish filets (cut into bite-sized pieces and add along with the mussels) for the sausage and shrimp, and add a little cayenne pepper to kick up the flavor.
**For a vegetarian version use Tofurkey Italian Sausage and Layona "Tuna" Chunk or spicy, savory tofu which can be found at your local health food store.
Per Serving: 480 Calories; 20g Fat; 24g Protein; 50g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 60mg Cholesterol; 684mg Sodium
