Quick and Healthy Shrimp Creole

The magazine I was flipping through while waiting to leave the blood bank had shrimp recipes. I have some shrimp in the freezer, so decide to make my healthy version of Shrimp Creole for dinner. I start the rice: 2 1/2 cups water, 1 cup brown rice, some dried parsley (if I had any fresh, I'd add it just before serving), simmer 45 minutes; and put 1 Cup shrimp in cold water to thaw. Half hour later, I start the

Quick and Healthy Shrimp Creole (serves 3, 2 tonight and 1 lunch later)
8 ounces shrimp (can substitute cooked chicken or cubes of firm tofu)
1 cup chopped onion (from the pantry)
1 cup chopped bell pepper (from last summer's garden, chopped and frozen on a cookie sheet, then dumped into a gallon freezer bag - easy to grab just what is needed)
1 cup chopped celery (ok, this one I buy from the store down the street)
1 pint tomatoes (canned last summer, cut up inside the jar just before adding)
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon thyme (cut from the herb garden last fall, hung and dried, and stored in a jar)
several dashes hot pepper sauce (green jalapeno sauce, from the garden, made last summer)
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Cook raw shrimp in boiling water 1 - 3 minutes (my 8 oz. frozen shrimp are already cooked, so all I do is remove the tails and cut each in half)

Place onions, celery, and bell peppers in skillet with 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer 3 -4 minutes, until veggies are crisp-tender.

Add tomatoes, bouillon granules, sugar, and thyme. Simmer together, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup cold water, and add to skillet. Cook and stir a couple of minutes, until thickened and bubbly. Add shrimp and cook a couple minutes more. Serve over parsley rice.