Spicy Crock pot Jambalaya

I have felt rather uninspired to cook lately. But then Jeff came home and said it was his turn to bring lunch to a team meeting at work. So we tried to think of options. I first thought spaghetti but someone just did that. So I started looking for crock pot recipes and jambalaya popped in my head. This was a huge hit with the meeting, so much so that he informed me there are no left-overs. I liked this recipe because you put the rice in with the rest of the ingredients that made it super simple for transport and prep.

Spicy Crock Pot Jambalaya
From Cajun Delights

 

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup cooked ham or chicken, cubed
1 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 cup bell peppers, any color, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1  (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 small can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1 or 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped, (optional)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
Few shakes Tabasco
1 tbs. or more Cajun seasoning
Salt to taste
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 3/4 cups raw rice

First chop the veggies, slice the sausage,  and chop the ham or chicken. Combine ham, sausage, trinity, rice, garlic, chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, jalapenos, and seasonings,  in 5 quart slow cooker. Mix well, cover,  and cook on low for 5 hours. Stir well and add shrimp, parsley, half of green onions, and Tabasco, and cook on high for 30 to 40 more minutes. Discard bay leaves and garnish with remaining green onions before serving.

Serve with a big tossed salad and my Cajun-Style French Bread.

My Notes:
First off, I hate shrimp. Refuse to eat and never buy them. But I do like crawfish and we happened to have a pound of crawfish tails in the freezer. I also had just made chicken stock a few days before. I added carrots to the veggies as I feel like people can never eat enough veggies. I sweat the veggies in my dutch oven with some bacon grease before putting them in the crock pot I'm always up for added flavor. I also upped the rice to 2C and put nearly 16oz of tomato sauce. Jeff took this to work so no pictures :(
Don't tell Jeff but I added 2T of chia seeds to the chicken stock for added fiber.... they didn't notice. Hee Hee