Say goodbye to bland and boring and hello to great taste!
Artichoke Dip w/ Crab & Shrimp
By Leah Gordon
Cuisine On The Run
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of softened cream cheese
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/3 cup of mayo
2 teaspoons of Cajun Spice Blend
12 ounces of crab meat
12 ounces of shrimp - cooked, peeled, and diced
1 cup of coarsley chopped artichoke hearts
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of fresh pico de gallo, for garnish
Directions:
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.
Cajun Red Bean Dip
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons of Cajun Spice Blend, or to taste
1-1/2 cups cooked red kidney beans (one 15-1/2 ounce can, rinsed and drained)
1/2 tablespoon of hot pepper sauce, or to taste
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice (the juice of 2 medium limes)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon of minced fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
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.
Remove the pan from the heat, and 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. T he 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.
Crab Cakes w/ Cilantro Jalapeno Creme
By Leah Gordon
Cuisine On The Run
Ingredients:
1 pound of crabmeat, cleaned and picked
1/3 cup of crackers
2 tablespoons of grated onion
1/2 cup of finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup of mayo
1 egg
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
1/2 of a juiced lemon
2 teaspoons of Cajun Spice Blend
1 to 1-1/2 cups of panko bread crumbs, set aside for coating crabcakes
1/2 cup of peanut il; heated for frying crabcakes
Directions:
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 Crème. (See recipe below.)
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
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Mix well. Serve with crabcakes.
Cook’s Note: Yields 1 cup.
Crispy Oven-Fried Catfish
By Carmen Blackmon
Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 (6oz.) catfish fillets
2-1/2 teaspoons of Cajun Spice Blend
3 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed
Vegetable
Directions:
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 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 30-35 minutes, or until fish flakes with a fork. Serve catfish fillets immediately with lemon wedges.
Golden Tilapia Sandwiches
Ingredients:
Cajun Mayo
4 tablespoons of mayo
1 tablespoon of chopped, pickled jalapeno peppers
1 dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon of chopped capers
1 pinch of Cajun Spice Blend
Mix all of the above ingredients to make a delicious Cajun Mayo.
2 (4oz) Tilapia fillets
1-2 tablespoons of Cajun Spice Blend
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 sandwich rolls
4 slices of tomato
3-4 red onion rings
2-3 romaine leaves
Directions:
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.
Cook’s Note: Makes 2 sandwiches.
Hot Crawfish Dip w/ French Bread Croutons
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 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
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
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.
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.
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. 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.
Cook’s Note: Serves 8-10. For a fun variation, serve in puff pastry shells or ladled over pasta.
Cajun Salmon
By Linda Gray
Ingredients:
Salmon fillets, about 6 ounces per serving
Olive oil
Cajun Spice Blend
Directions:
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).
Red Beans and Rice
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 Cajun Spice Blend, or to taste
6 cups cooked rice
Directions:
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.
Cook’s Note: Preparation time is 20 minutes and cooking time is 1 hour. Serves 6. 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.
Shrimp & Grits
By Leah Gordon
Cuisine On The Run
Ingredients:
1 pound of shrimp - cleaned, peeled, and de-veined
1-2 teaspoons of Cajun Spice Blend
3 tablespoons of butter
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of parsley
1 cup of thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove of garlic
Grits
4 cups of water
1 cup of quick cook grits
Cook grits according to the directions and set aside.
Directions:
Saute garlic, scallions, parsley in butter until soft.
Add bacon, lemon juice and 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.
Sweet & Spicy Pecans
By Linda Gray
Ingredients:
1 pound of pecan halves
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup of white corn syrup (Karo)
2 tablespoons of Cajun Spice Blend (more or less to suit your taste)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. 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 co-workers.
Crumbled Fish Burger w/ Cajun Spice & Lemon Mayo
By Kate Murdoch
Ingredients:
2 cups of day-old breadcrumbs
3 teaspoons Cajun Spice
4 skinless, firm white fish pieces
Olive oil
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1/3 cup of whole egg mayo
4 bread rools, halved
Mixed lettuce leaves, to serve
2 roma tomatoes, sliced, to serve
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced, to serve
Directions:
Combine the breadcrumbs and Cajun spice in a large bowl. Working in batches, press the fish into the breadcrumb mixture to coat evenly all over. Heat a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the fish in batches for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden and fish just flakes when tested with a fork. Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Toast the bread rolls until golden. To serve, spread the mayonnaise mixture over each of the bread roll halves. Top with a little of the lettuce, tomato, onion and a portion of fish. Serve immediately.
Cook's Note: Prep time is 15 minutes. Cook time is 15 minutes. Serves 4.
Crawfish Fettuccine I
By Cynthia2 as seen on allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons of butter1 large, chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
3 chopped stalks of celery
1 minced clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
1 pound of peeled crawfish tails
1-8 ounce package of processed cheese food
1 cup of half and half cream
2 teaspoons of Cajun Spices
1 pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pound of dry fettuccine pasta
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in butter until onions are tender. Stir in flour, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in crawfish. Cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the processed cheese, half-and-half, Cajun seasonings, and cayenne pepper. Cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stir noodles into crawfish mixture; pour into prepared dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Cook's Note: Prep time is 15 minutes. Cook time is 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serves 8.