Jambalaya Grill Packets

Guess what! I am still cooking with foil. In fact I made these Jambalaya Grill Packets three times before I finally took photos. I made it once just for me in recipe development, then I made it for the family. They all loved it. Then my favorite person in the world was here last weekend and I made it for him. I was busy having fun and did not even think about photos. So tonight I made it one more time so I could get photos to share with you. It is an easy, fresh twist on jambalaya. It has all the flavor of an oven cooked jambalaya, but the veggies are more apparent. And you do not have to heat up the house with the oven. You assemble the packets, place on the grill and come back 20 minutes later. Done! It is really a great summer meal. A super easy way to share a taste of Louisiana with your family and friends. I have made it with both white and brown converted rice; both work well. I think the white rice absorbs a little more liquid then the brown, but both taste great. I will caution you about seasoning. Rotel tomatoes have some heat so if your sausage is spicy go light on the creole seasoning. But if your a heat seeker, add red pepper flakes too. That is what I did tonight and it was deliciously spicy. So good! I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and friends.

Jambalaya Grill Packets

Serves 4

                  

Ingredients

2 cups converted white or brown rice

2 tsp. Chicken Tomato Bouillon

1 can Rotel tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

12 Shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 link of turkey smoked sausage, sliced

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

Black pepper, to taste

Kosher salt, to taste

Creole seasoning, to taste

2 bay leaves, torn in half

Handful of parsley, chopped

2 green onion, sliced

Directions

Pre-heat grill to high heat for 15 minutes.

Drain Rotel tomatoes reserving the liquid in a 2 cup measuring cup. Add enough water to the tomato liquid to equal 2 cups. Combine rice, bouillon and tomato water in a bowl stir and set aside for at least 5 minutes. Place tomatoes over rice mixture.

Chop garlic, onion, bell pepper, and celery place on top of tomato and rice mixture. Stir to combine and place in the center of a four pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil. Place a fourth of the shrimp, sausage and chicken on top of each packet. Season each with salt, pepper and creole seasoning. Tuck half a bay leaf in each packet. Seal foil packet by rolling the sides of foil over the top; then seal and secure the ends. Place on the grill lowering temp to medium. Cook at medium for 20 minutes. Remove from grill and allow to rest five minutes. Serve garnished with parsley and green onions.

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Shrimp Creole [Re-post]

Today was shrimp day at the house. Dear sister spent the day and we made Spring Rolls for lunch and Shrimp Creole for dinner. When I originally posted the Shrimp Creole recipe the camera battery died and I did not get a photo of the finished dish. So I decided to photograph the finished plate today. Now you can see how delicious looking it is. This is really a tasty dish. Probably the easiest and maybe the healthiest of all our Cajun family recipes. I hope you will give it a try some day soon.

Shrimp Creole

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

28 oz. can whole tomatoes, crushed or diced

3/4 tsp. Kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp. Black pepper, or to taste

1/8 tsp. Red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, or to taste

2 clove garlic, minced

5 sprigs parsley, chopped

2 sprigs thyme, leaves only

1 bay leaf

3 lbs. shrimp

Directions

Peel and devein the shrimp. Heat oil in saucepan, add onion and brown. Add tomatoes with juice and celery; cook 10 minutes, stirring thoroughly. Add all other ingredients except shrimp. Cook 10 min, then add shrimp. Cook 20 - 30 min. longer or until shrimp are cooked adding a little water if necessary. Cook covered on a low fire, stirring occasionally. Serve over steamed rice.

For more about this recipe including step by step photos, 

check out the original post [Here].

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The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You do This Weekend?

Shrimp Lemoine

Come on everyone let's get messy! This is a dish you should eat with friends and family. It is like eating crawfish, you have to use your hands. You will see why in a minute. This is a recipe passed down to me by my Mother. It is how she recalls my paternal grandmother Maw Maw making it. Maw Maw was a Lemoine so yence the name. I have never seen it anywhere else. I searched and did not find anything similar or with the same name. Definitely a cajun original. It is so simple but so very good. Butter, onions and shrimp; that's it! The secret and what makes it a mess to eat is that you cook the shrimp in the sweet caramelized onions and in their shells. Cooking the shrimp in their shell just boost their flavor. It might be messy to eat but they are packed with flavor. Growing up we would eat it with french bread to scoop up the butter and onions. Mom says she will serve it with baked potatoes too. The parsley and green onions are totally optional. In fact as I remember it, most of the time Mom left them out. I questioned her about it and she said, "if I had them, I used them". I am here to tell you they are delicious either way. Monday dear sister came over and we tried using half the butter to save calories.  They were still delicious but there was little sauce to dip the bread in. So save those calories and indulge every now and then. I hope you will grab a stack of napkins and try it for yourself.

Shrimp Lemoine

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter

2 medium onions, sliced into petals

1 lb. shrimp, deveined shell on

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

A handful of parsley, chopped (optional)

2 green onions, sliced (optional)

Directions

Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan, add onions and season with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Sauté until onions are soft and they begin to brown and caramelize. Add shrimp and sauté until just opaque. Add parsley and green onion if using, stirring to combine. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve with French bread and lots of napkins.

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Crawfish Enchiladas

Someone PLEASE! PLEASE tell me what is the best way to plate and even photograph enchiladas! It is so difficult! Yesterday when I made these enchiladas I gave up trying to get a photo and just ate. I put the leftovers in the frig. This morning I tried again. They were cold and much easier to serve. The results are much, much better; but you still can't tell there are two enchiladas on the plate. If you have any tips I would love to hear them.

Well back to the food! These are not a Cajun or Mexican recipe I got from Maw Maw or a Mexican grandmother. This is just something I made up many years ago. I think it might have even been a pantry and frig raid. You know those nights when you make something out of what you got. They turned out so good. There was something about Louisiana crawfish, the trinity of veggies, the cream of mushroom soup and the enchilada sauce that almost replicates an ettouffe. But then again you can still taste the chilies in the enchilada sauce. Oh and the cheese! That's definitely more Mexican than Cajun. These crawfish enchiladas might be the best of both worlds. I hope you will give them a try. This is a delicious way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a little bit of Louisiana style.

Crawfish Enchiladas

Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients

1 to 2 tsp. olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 ribs celery, sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

Handful of fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 lb. frozen crawfish tails, thawed

1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup

1 can red enchilada sauce (mild)

1 to 2 cups Italian cheese blend, shredded

8 to 10 small flour tortillas

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Parsley, to garnish

Directions

Set crawfish aside to thaw. Preheat oven to 375°. Next chop the all veggies into a small dice. Heat a skillet over medium high; add a tsp or more olive oil and sauté onion, celery and bell pepper. When onion is translucent add mushrooms. Sauté a little longer until mushrooms are soft. Add crawfish and heat through. Then add cream of mushroom soup and 1/3 can of enchilada sauce. When heated through add a hand full of cheese and stir to melt cheese. Take off stove and roll a spoon or two of filling in flour tortillas. Place in baking dish. Reserve some filling pour over top of enchiladas. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and some more cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley. Delicious with a green salad and avocado as a side.

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Just for Laughs! 

Below is my first serving of enchiladas I tried to photograph. 

It was the best photo too!

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Crawfish Ettouffe

There seems to be as many different recipes for Crawfish Ettouffe as there are cajuns. I remember when I went to work for an Architect here. He gave me his recipe for Crawfish Ettouffe and he said he used flour and butter to make a roux. I was shocked? I went home to question my Mom. Were we doing it wrong or was he? I was still a young woman with hardly any years behind me at the time. I don't even think I had cooked an ettouffe yet, I had just helped Mom. She explained that everyone does it differently and it really depends on the ingredients. If the ingredients are dry and don't lend liquid to form a gravy you sometimes have to help them out. She used cornstarch and water if it ever happens to her. Others make a light butter roux. Now with more years behind me and lots of blogs read and cooking shows watched; I know people add everything from a roux, bell pepper, stock, cajun seasoning, etc. Our family recipe is very simple and delicious. The flavor of the crawfish really shines through. Mom was taught by her Mom and they always just used butter, onion, maybe some celery, salt, pepper, green onions and parsley. As dear sister pointed out it is buttery and a little sweet. So good!

For this pot of ettouffe I used some frozen tails dear sister bought from a co-worker. His second job is a seafood business called B&D Seafood. He brings the delicious seafood of south Louisiana to all of us up here in north Louisiana. The crawfish tails were delicious and included the crawfish fat. They were certified Cajun and a product from right here in Louisiana. I will definitely buy from him again. His crawfish were so much better than the brands I find in my grocery store. We have one more pound in the freezer. I look forward to another crawfish dish real soon. I hope you will give our crawfish ettouffe and B&D Seafood a try.

Crawfish Ettouffe

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1 stick butter

1 onion, finely chopped (Mom sometimes adds a little celery, I used 1 rib)

1 lb. crawfish tails, reserve crawfish fat

Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes (or cayenne), to taste

a handful of parsley, chopped

3 green onions, sliced

Cooked white rice

Directions

Melt butter in a pan add the onion (celery if using) and cook until translucent. Add crawfish fat and crawfish tails. Season with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Simmer covered 30 minutes. Stir in parsley and green onions. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve over rice.

Linking to:
Ms.enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Grilled Shrimp Po Boy with Kickin' Po Boy Sauce

Happy New Year everyone! (Very belated) I have observed all my New Year Traditions. I spent it with my favorite person in the world. I had a meal of smothered cabbage and black eye peas with the family when I returned. This year is off to a great start.

Central Texas was cold and rainy. We cooked black eye peas and a few other things together. We discovered we do not like fresh black eye peas we prefer dried. This totally surprised both of us. I mean fresh is usually better? Right? I guess in this case we have been cooking from dry so long that they evoke that comforting memory. The fresh were not bad? Just different. They smelled and taste different. They even took longer to cook. Odd? We won't try that again.

We did make a good old fashioned 7 Layer Dip for New Year's Eve. We made our own guacamole and added many pickled jalapenos, so technically it might have been an eight layer dip. It was amazing how happy this made us. I don't know why I don't make this more often. It has been years since I made one. We also cooked many other things. Mayo Baked Tilapia and Veggies, Beef Filet and Mushroom Pan Sauce and of course lots of Breakfasts. That is his specialty. But the stand out recipe of the week was a Grilled Shrimp Po Boy. 

This Po Boy was amazing! It was really just a "winging it" recipe. My favorite person wanted a good po-boy on good bread. So he bought the bread from Jimmy John's. As for what to put on the po boy? We both agreed shrimp. We talked about using a marinade for BBQ Shrimp he was given by a friend. Well? We left our shopping list at home so we left a key ingredient at the store. So this marinade is the result. It was still great. I don't know if you can tell much difference from the original. They are well flavored with a hint of smoke from the grill. Perfect on their own or on a po boy. I asked what kind of sauce he wanted. He said something with a kick. Well I think "winging it" yet again worked to our benefit. We now have a Kickin' Po Boy Sauce. It's spicy, creamy, a little sweet and tangy. It had a nice flavor kick but did not over power or compete with the shrimp. It was so good! I will definitely make this for the family soon. Maybe on a warm day. We nearly froze to death at the grill that night. It was so so cold! But totally worth it. (Smiling)

Grilled Shrimp Po Boy with Kickin' Po Boy Sauce
Serves 2 or 3

Ingredients

For Shrimp and Marinade:
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp horseradish

For Kickin' Po Boy Sauce:
2 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 to 2 tsp. capers
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

For Po Boy:
French bread, sliced in halved
Butter, softened
Kickin' Po Boy Sauce (recipe above)
Shredded lettuce
Tomato, sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Grilled shrimp

Directions

For Shrimp Marinade: Combine everything but shrimp in a jar and shake to combine. Pour over the shrimp to cover. Let marinade at least 30 min before grilling.

For Kickin' Po Boy Sauce: Combine ingredients stirring well to combine. Set aside for later.

For the Po Boy: Pre-heat the grill to medium high heat. Butter both insides of french bread. Grill the shrimp a few minutes each side, until opaque and has nice grill marks. Place bread on the grill butter side down. Grill until butter has melted and has nice golden brown grill marks. Remove from grill and assemble the po boy. Spread the kickin' sauce on both sides of the bread, place lettuce, tomatoes on bottom half of bread. Season with salt and pepper. Top with grilled shrimp and the top half of the bread. Cut into 2 or 3 sandwiches. Serve immediately!

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
The Diary of a Real Housewife: Friday Favorites

Red Beans and Rice

In our family red beans means smoke sausage and white beans ham. I have already shared the White Beans and Rice recipe with you in another post. Now I am happy to share the red beans. Last week I made this pot of Red Beans and Rice. Dear sister brought me some beef and pork smoke sausage from Bergeron's. I decided to let the sausage contribute the sodium and not add any salt. I was really surprised how much flavor and seasoning can be contributed to the sausage only. I did add black pepper and Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy. It is quickly becoming my favorite no sodium replacement for creole seasoning. I personally did not miss the salt. I just added my usual shake of Tabasco sauce and was very happy. I am not going to lie, I saw a little salt being shaken at the table. But who could blame them, I know just how delicious this recipe is prepared the traditional way. So shake that shaker if you can. I am just happy to share a recipe that everyone no matter their health concerns can enjoy. You just can't beat a plate of Louisiana Red Beans and Rice.

Red Beans and Rice
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 lb. dried red beans (kidney)

1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced

8 cups of water

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 ribs of celery, chopped (including the leafy tops)

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 large bay leaf
Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy and black pepper, to taste (low sodium version)
    or kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Cajun seasoning, to taste

2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped (I like more)
White or brown rice, prepared for serving

Directions

Rinse and sort beans. Cover with 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat and let stand, covered for 1 hour. Drain beans.

Add 8 cups hot water and return pot to heat. Add sausage, onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer; add bay leaf, Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy and black pepper (or other seasonings except salt). Simmer uncovered for two hours. Do not add salt (if using) until beans are soft. When beans are soft, add salt (if using) and taste for seasoning. Add seasonings to taste. Beans are done when creamy and not soupy. Stir in parsley just before serving. Serve over white or brown rice prepared as directed on the package.

After one hour

After two hours

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Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Better Butter Beans

Sunday we (the family) all ganged up and prepared a half bushel of Butter Beans with Shrimp. There is no doubt in my mind that fresh or frozen butter beans are the way to go. It was so much easier and faster than dry beans. I will not go down that dry road again. These butter beans were fresh from Ed Lester Farms. They sell them hulled and in bags. We bought a half bushel and it made a huge pot of butter beans. They were the small green ones, Mom's favorite. This pot really looked like Maw Maw's (Dad's Mom) Shrimp and Butter Beans. I think I may need to go back and get some to put in the freezer for this winter. This pot we made salt free. I have been experimenting and I have found that Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy is a great salt free alternative for Cajun recipes. Of course the salt eaters added salt at the table. But I tried it without, it was delicious! The shrimp adds some salt to the beans, they were actually salty tasting next to the butter beans and rice. This pot of butter beans were better in so many ways. Better for you. Fresh beans are better than dry beans. And finally they looked better, just like Maw Maw's.

Butter Beans and Shrimp

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

1 cup Flour

1 cup vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

3 ribs of celery, chopped

1/2 bushel fresh or frozen butter beans

2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy and seasoned pepper, to taste 
    or salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Cajun seasoning, to taste

1 bunch green onions, sliced 
1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
Cooked white rice 

Directions

Heat flour and oil on medium heat, stirring constantly until the color of a brown paper bag.

           

Add bell pepper, celery, and onion cook until softened. About 30 minutes covered stirring often. Add beans and enough warm water to cover. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook stirring often scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking. Cook until beans are tender and creamy inside but still whole. Season with your seasonings or choice from above. Add shrimp and cook until pink. If necessary add more warm water until desired consistency. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary. Add green onions and parsley just before serving. Serve over rice.

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Magazine Review: 2 New Trinity Flavors

Here is just a heads up. In the March/April issue of Louisiana Cookin' magazine, they have an article called Building Flavor with the Trinity. They include a Traditional Trinity recipe and two new flavors. At least they are new to me. They also include recipes in which to use each of the new flavors. The first is a Smoky Trinity flavor. They use a roasted poblano pepper instead of a bell pepper and they add smoky paprika and ground chipotle powders. I can't wait to try this one in a soup of some sort. You know how I love poblanos. The second new flavor is a Spicy Trinity. I am a little intimidated by the potential heat of this one. They use jalapeno instead of bell pepper and add crushed red pepper and cayenne. In my experience, spicy heat builds in long cooking foods. This recipe maybe best suited for quick dishes, at least for me and my heat tolerances. Either way I am excited about experimenting with both new flavors.

I checked and the recipes are not on their website yet. I so want to post the recipes or a photo of them, but I don't want to break the copyright law. So rush out to get yours or order your copy now or you will miss out. I will be sure to post any experimenting I do in the future.

Here is my family recipe for 

Traditional Trinity

1 large onion, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

3 ribs of celery, diced

Depending on the recipe your cooking, saute in olive oil, 

butter or a roux made of equal parts flour and oil.

See my Family Cookbook

for Gumbos, Soups and Stews all including the Trinity.

Magazine Cover

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