Everything Left in the Frig Paella

This paella was made literally from things I had left in my frig and freezer. The mussels were uncooked and leftover from Sunday evening's dinner, the shrimp was in the freezer and since I didn't have any chicken I used a sweet apple chicken sausage instead. The combination worked really well with fresh cilantro and tomatoes. Even my daughter downed the rice which I know usually is not one of her favorites.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of mussels rinsed with beards removed

(discard any already open which do not close when sharply tapped)

I/2 lb large shrimp, peeled with tails left on

12 oz sweet apple sausage, sliced

2 cups quick cooking brown dry rice

4 tomatoes diced with seeds removed

1 green pepper diced

1 onion chopped

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

oil for sauteing

Method:

In deep sided pan, heat oil and saute the sausage, green pepper and onion until the sausage is browned pepper is soft and onion is transparent. Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil then add the rice, and cook for 5 minutes Add the mussels and cover pan and let simmer for 3-5 minutes. Then toss in the shrimp and cover to let simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat when the mussels are opened the shrimp is pink and the rice is cooked through. Add the fresh cilantro and serve.

This actually made enough for my crew plus a good portion leftover for my husband's lunch!