My mom makes excellent paella. It is bar none one of her unsung talents.  So last weekend when I was meal planning and missing her a little extra I decided to try my hand at it.  Now she is the master, and I the student so I do not in any capacity feign superiority in my dish.  I have watched her whip it up on several occasions, but what is tricky is that my mom happens to be a wiz in the kitchen so she never follows a recipe directly.  Thus no paella is ever rendered the same again.  It is a dish only to be enjoyed in that moment, because next time it will be equally as wonderful but slightly refined.  So as I crafted my version I tried to think back on what I seen her incorporate, and then substituted in and out a few items to suit our palates (like quinoa instead of rice, extra veggies instead of meat and turkey sausage instead of chorizo).  I am sure I missed plenty of ingredients but the result was nonetheless stellar.  Furthermore, pausing to enjoy my take on paella on this sunny New York Spring evening, whirled up all sorts of nostalgia as it left my feeling as if I was sitting on my mom’s back porch catching up over our days.  I love you mom 🙂

Skillet Shrimp and Chicken Paella

Serves 4 as a full meal

Options

Vegan: skip the meat and double the veggies. Still awesome.
Paleo: Skip the quinoa.  Then double the veggies and add a touch extra seafood.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp of coconut oil
• 3 turkey or chicken sausages
• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 cloves garlic
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 cups of quinoa
• 3 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 2 tsp of paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• Chili paste to taste
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen peas
• 1/2 lb of shrimp (or mixed frozen seafood)
• 1 lime
• 1 bunch of green onion

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet.
2. Dice the sausage and chicken breasts, and add to the skillet
3. Season meat with salt and pepper and sauté until cooked through. Dice the The remove from the skillet and set aside.
4. Mince the garlic and add to the skillet.
5. Dice the red and yellow bell pepper and add to the skillet.  Sauté until tender.
6. Stir in the quinoa and broth.
7. Stir in the thyme, paprika, bay leaves and chili.  Bring entire mixture to a boil over high heat, and continue heating until the quinoa is cooked.
8. Stir in the meat, peas, shrimp and lime juice.  Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through.
9. Remove from the heat, garnish with minced green onion and serve.