Commonwealth Associates, Inc. specializes in project management, planning studies, engineering and design, siting, permitting, land acquisition, and construction inspection services for electrical transmission line, distribution line, and substation projects throughout the United States. Our clients benefit from our strong focus on their industry, our dedication to the success of their projects, and the knowledge our staff brings to projects based on their broad experience and involvement on professional technical committees that set national standards for electric utility facilities.

Artichoke Dip w/Crab and Shrimp
By Leah Gordon
Cuisine On The Run


Ingredients:

3/4 c Cream Cheese,softened
1/4 c Dijon Mustard
1/3 c Mayo
2 t Papa's Cajun Spice Blend
12 oz crab meat
12 oz shrimp cooked, peeled and diced
1 c coarsley chopped artichoke hearts
1/4 c shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 c fresh pico de gallo, for garnish

In food processor blend cream cheese till smooth and add additional seasonings except for cheese.

In a large bowl stir in artichokes, crab and shrimp.
Place all of the mixture in a casserole dish.
Sprinkle cheese on top and bake on 350 for @ 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Garnish with fresh Pico de Gallo
Serve with crostini or pita chips.

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Cajun Red Bean Dip

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Papa's Cajun Spice Blend, or to taste
11/2 cups cooked red kidney beans (one 15 1/2-ounce can, rinsed and drained)
1/2 tablespoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (the juice of 2 medium limes)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Place a medium saute pan over medium heat; add the oil and heat through. Stir in the onion and bell pepper and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook one minute more. Pour in the beans and continue cooking, stirring often, until just warmed through, about 2 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the heat, then transfer the bean mixture to the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade attachment. Pulse until all of the ingredients are just incorporated; add the pepper sauce and lime juice and pulse to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and pepper sauce. The dip should be somewhat smooth with a bit of texture. If the dip is too thick, thin with a little warm water, adding it one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit, unrefrigerated, for one hour prior to serving to allow the flavors to develop. If it will be more than one hour before serving, cover tightly and refrigerate; remove one hour before serving to bring to room temperature. Garnish with parsley.
Serve with corn chips or crackers of your choice

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Crab Cakes with Cilantro Jalapeno Creme
By Leah Gordon
Cuisine On The Run


Ingredients:

1 lb. Crabmeat, cleaned and picked
1/3 cup Crackers (Saltines are good)
2 T. Grated onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup Mayo
1 Egg
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Dry Mustard
1/2 Lemon, juiced
2 tsp. Papa's Cajun Spice Blend
1-1 1/2 C. Panko Bread Crumbs, set aside for coating crabcakes
1/2 C. Peanut Oil; heated for frying crabcakes

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients except for the breadcrumbs and oil.
Mold approximately 1/4 c. crabmeat mixture into a patty and roll in breadcrumbs.
Place in hot skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown.

Serve with Cilantro Jalapeno Creme

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Cilantro Jalapeno Creme

Ingredients:

1 C Sour Cream
4-5 Tbsp. Fresh Cilantro
2 T Jalapeno Pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp. Papa's Cajun Spice Blend
4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
Mix well.
Yields @ 1 Cup

Serve with Crabcakes

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Crispy Oven-Fried Catfish
By Carmen Blackmon


Ingredients:

1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 (6oz.) catfish fillets
2 1/2 teaspoon Papa's Cajun Spice Blend
3 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed
Vegetable

Place 1 cup low-fat buttermilk in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; add 4 (6-ounce) catfish fillets, turning to coat. Seal and chill 20 minutes, turning once.
Remove catfish fillets from buttermilk, discarding buttermilk. Sprinkle catfish fillets evenly with 2 1/2 teaspoons Papa's Cajun Spice Blend and salt to taste.
Place 3 cups crushed cornflakes in a shallow dish. Dredge catfish fillets in cornflakes, pressing cornflakes gently onto each fillet. Place fillets on a rack coated with cooking spray in a roasting pan.
Bake catfish fillets at 425° for 30 to 35 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork. Serve catfish fillets immediately with lemon wedges.

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Golden Tilapia Sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 T Mayo
1 T Chopped, pickled jalapeno peppers
Dash freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t Chopped Capers
Pinch of Papa’s Cajun Spice Blend
Mix all of the above ingredients to make a delicious Cajun Mayo.

2 (4oz) Tilapia fillets
1-2 T. Papa’s Cajun Spice Blend
3 T. Vegetable oil
2 Sandwich Rolls
4 slices Tomato
3-4 Red Onion rings
2-3 Leaves of Romaine

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet. Coat Tilapia fillets in spice mix and sauté on both sides until golden brown @ 2-3 minutes on each side.

To make sandwich, spread mayo and add other ingredients along with fish fillets.

Yields: 2 Sandwiches

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Hot Crawfish Dip with French Bread Croutons
Serves 8-10


Ingredients:

Croutons:
1 loaf French baguette, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dip:
1 stick unsalted butter, divided (1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons)
1 medium white or yellow onion, finely diced chopped
2 teaspoons Papa's Cajun Spice Blend, or to taste
4 to 5 green onions, green tops only, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine, of drinkable quality
1 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of 1/2 medium lemon)
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco®), or to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 to 16 ounces cooked and peeled Louisiana crawfish tails
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

1. For the Toasts: Brush the baguette slices on both sides with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper; bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet until crisp and golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. For the Dip: Heat a large saute pan over medium heat; add the butter and melt. Stir in the yellow onion and Cajun seasoning and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes; add the green onions and cook one minute more.
4. Add the wine and cook until the pan is almost dry; add the half-and-half and whisk to combine. Cook gently over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the lemon juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, then stir in the crawfish tails. Cook until the crawfish are just warmed through, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the parsley and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with Cajun seasoning and hot sauce. Serve the dip in a chafing dish garnished with chopped fresh parsley; serve the croutons on the side.

Variation: Serve in puff pastry shells or ladled over pasta.

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Cajun Salmon
By Linda Gray


Ingredients:

Salmon fillets, about 6 ounces per serving
Olive oil
Papa's Cajun Spice Blend

Rinse fillets with cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Place fillets on a platter, rub olive oil on both sides, sprinkle heavily with Cajun seasoning, to taste. Let sit until fish comes to room temperature. Grill, broil or pan fry until it is just done (about 5 minutes each side depending on thickness of fillet).

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Red Beans and Rice
Makes 6 Servings


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons margarine
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 (15-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 teaspoon chicken base
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon Papa's Cajun Spice Blend, or to taste
6 cups cooked rice

In large stockpot, melt margarine. Add onion and pepper and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until softened. Add kidney beans, sausage, chicken base, water, hot sauce and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve over rice.
Per serving: 771 calories (percent of calories from fat, 33), 30 grams protein, 98 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams fiber, 28 grams fat, 511 milligrams cholesterol, 968 milligrams sodium.

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Shrimp and Grits
By Leah Gordon – Cuisine On The Run


Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimp ,cleaned, peeled and deveined
1-2 t. Papa's Cajun Spice Blend
3 T. butter
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 T. lemon juice
2 T. parsley
1 c. thinly sliced scallions
1 lg. clove garlic

4 c. water
1 c. grits (quick cook)
Cook grits according to the directions and set aside.

Saute garlic, scallions, parsley in butter until soft.
Add bacon, lemon juice and Papa’s Cajun Spice Blend.
Add shrimp to mixture and cook on medium heat till shrimp just begin to turn pink.
Remove from heat and serve over cooked grits.

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Sweet and Spicy Pecans
By Linda Gray


Ingredients:

1 # Pecan halves
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup white corn syrup (Karo)
2 Teaspoons Papa's Cajun Spice Blend (more or less to suit your taste)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 deg. Spread pecans on a baking sheet (use one with sides). Cut cold butter into small pieces and scatter over the pecans. Pour corn syrup over the pecans. Put pan into oven and let bake for about 15 minutes (or until butter melts). Remove pan and stir pecans to coat with butter and syrup mixture. At this time, sprinkle about 1 1/2 teaspoons (or to your taste) of the Cajun spice mix over the pecans and stir again. Return to oven and bake for about 1 1/2 hours until pecans have darkened and most of butter mixture is absorbed. Remove from oven and spread over brown paper to absorb any remaining butter. You can use a standard grocery brown bag and cut it open to lay flat on your counter. Taste pecans and add more spice mix or course grain kosher salt. Let pecans cool and then store in an airtight container.
Cook's note: You can use other types of raw nuts like walnuts, almonds, etc. A mixture of nuts works too. This recipe is easily doubled for ease in sharing with friends and coworkers.