Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

I like to take my time and prepare something especially tasty on Sundays. It's the one day that's truly lazy and affords me the time to cook something more complicated or simply something that demands more attention than I can give on homework nights. The boys seems to be more chilled out on Sundays, and I have an extra set of hands since Mac Daddy is home. I don't use him as my sous chef, but he makes a great playmate for the kids and dog to keep them occupied while I whisk away in the kitchen. My only "down" time is in the kitchen. This Sunday's creation was my spin on paella.

I remember making paella for the first time in college with my friends Michael and Cathy. We enjoyed a few too many High Lifes and lost track of who was adding what spice to the dish. I think we ended up with a ridiculously spicy creation that no amount of beer was going to remedy.

I never made that mistake again. Today's paella is a vegetarian and seafood version. It is admittedly not authentic but it looks like paella when served. I promise you. And besides the looks, it tastes fantastic.

3 cloves garlic
1 large onion
yellow bell pepper
olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 can diced tomatoes
turmeric
paprika
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
soy sausage
chicken broth
shrimp
squid
mussels


I start by heating up my favorite pan and then adding some olive oil. While the oil heats crush 3 cloves of garlic and roughly chop it. Chop one large onion and threw it all into the hot oil. Then comes a chopped yellow bell pepper. Stir until the onions are translucent. Add a few bay leaves and make sure they "fry up" a bit to bring out their flavor. Pour in a can of chopped tomatoes (I'd use fresh if I made this in summer.). Add about a teaspoon or two of turmeric and really good quality paprika. Oh, and make sure you toss in some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. You're not using the canned black powdered stuff, are ya? Then crumble in some soy chorizo. We're not really carnivores anymore in our family so I'm always improvising ways to add flavor and substance without using meat. In this version of paella I'm leaving out the chicken and sausage. I use Trader Joe's soy chorizo. It's tasty but must be crumbled because the plastic casing (that must be removed before cooking) makes the "sausage" not slicable. Turkey or chicken sausage would also be tasty. Pour in a couple ladle fulls of chicken stock. Stir it up and let that goodness simmer on low for an hour or so. Check it every 15 minutes and add more stock if necessary. Before serving, add a couple handfuls of peeled and deveined shrimp, sliced squid, and mussels. Cook and heat through but mind the time so you don't get a chewy rubbery mess. Mix in some peas for a lovely dose of color.

If you're wondering where the rice is, it's coming. Rice is cooked right into the savory broth in traditional paella, but I like to cook it separately. I serve my paella more gumbo-style with the rice in the bottom of the bowl and the paella dolloped on top.

I served mine with a robust red wine. The kids had water with slices of lime to fancy it up a notch. Then we said "Salud!" and scarfed down the perfect meal to end a cold, windy day.