Cajun Mac 'n' Cheese

How can you improve on good, old Mac 'n' Cheese? Throw in some zesty Cajun seasonings for a can't-miss side dish you will be making again and again. When I saw the recipe for Cajun Mac 'n' Cheese over at Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice I knew it would be a family favorite and I was right.


Cajun Mac 'n' Cheese
Recipe from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 and ½ teaspoon onion powder
1 and ½ teaspoon cayenne or 1 teaspoon peperoncino
1 and ½ teaspoon oregano
1 and ½ teaspoon thyme
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoon flour
2 cups half 'n' half or whole milk
8 ounces shredded or diced Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces shredded or diced Colby Jack cheese
Italian Bread Crumbs for topping
1 tablespoon Butter for topping


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni to al dente.

Into a small bowl measure out the seasonings and combine. Set aside.

While the macaroni is cooking in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan melt the butter on
low-medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes continuously whisking. Add the spice mixture and whisk into the flour mixture. Slowly add half 'n' half, continuously whisking. Bring to a slow simmer and continue to whisk for another 2-3 minutes, the milk should begin to thicken up. At this point add in the cheeses and whisk until melted. Remove from heat.

Spray a 2 quart casserole with baking spray; add macaroni. Pour béchamel over the macaroni.

Top with bread crumbs and dot with butter.

Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes until bubbly and top is golden.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

When I saw the recipe for Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta over at My Kitchen Snippets, it spoke to me. Actually it yelled at me. "Make me right away!" I put it on the menu for the week but couldn't wait until Friday to make it so I moved up to Monday. It was so good, I might even make it again on Friday!

While the original recipe sounded wonderful, due to my inability to follow any recipe, I made a few changes. First I used already cooked chicken that I had on hand. That cut down the prep time and coating the chicken in Cajun seasoning and giving it a quick saute before adding it, also added some zing. I used a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes which added more depth to the flavor (and saved even more time!) I also added some more veggies that I had on hand -- red bell peppers, cremini mushrooms -- along with the onion and garlic.

Delicious and quick this was definitely a crowd pleaser.

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Recipe inspired by My Kitchen Snippets

1 box pasta of your choice
olive oil
2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 small onion, diced
Several fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon of flour
1 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoons of pepper flakes
some chopped parsley
2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning, plus extra for seasoning if desired
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta until al-dente and set it aside.

Place diced, already cooked chicken in a bowl and toss with Cajun seasoning to cover. Saute in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of olive oil until heated through. Set aside.

In the same skillet heat a bit of olive oil, add the onions, bell peppers and mushrooms. When vegetables are softened, add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the flour and stir it for a minute or two, to cook off rawness of the flour.

Add the half and half, Parmesan cheese and stir until thick. Add the chicken and tomatoes into the skillet to cook through.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, pepper flakes and more Cajun seasoning, to taste.

Toss pasta with sauce.

Garnish with some chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

We settled on an old family favorite for the first day of Spring Break: South Beach Diet Chicken Jambalaya. Since Grandma was coming for dinner, we jazzed it up with the addition of some smoked turkey sausage. Added some dinner rolls and a salad and had the meal on the table in less than 30 minutes. To speed up the process on weeknights, I generally cook the rice separately and add it in at the end. Using precooked or leftover chicken gets it to the table even more quickly.

Chicken Jambalaya
Recipe from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook by Arthur Agatston, M.D.

1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 bunches scallions, chopped, 2 tablespoons reserved for garnish
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup whole-grain, quick-cooking brown rice
1/8 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 cups lower sodium chicken broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, scallions, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in rice and Cajun seasoning. Add broth and tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. If jambalaya has excess moisture, cook uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with reserved scallions and serve.

Mardi Gras!

Luckily our turn to host the monthly dinner party fell on the weekend before Mardi Gras. Certainly made all the planning simple. Zydeco on the stereo. Cajun on the table. And plenty of beads and masks to go around.

I fixed my Sausage and Chicken Gumbo, more mild than I usually make it. We like things spicy, but I served it with plenty of hot sauce so everyone could jazz it up to their own tastes. Everyone brought a Cajun dish to share and good times were definitely had by all. :-)

C and D brought some beautiful steamed crawdads.


J made the most amazing Shrimp Creole. Perfectly spiced and wonderful for lunch the next day.


Best of all - J's Chocolate Torte with Peanut Butter Sauce. Yum!

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

Why is it when it's hot out I just can't seem to motivate myself to cook? This was another night when I waited too late to start dinner, had no clear plan and no time to run to the grocery store. And unexpectedly I also had an extra mouth to feed. A quick look in my pantry made pasta the obvious choice. (I seem to have a pasta addiction and I can't seem to stop myself from buying any different pasta shape I come across.) I picked fettuccine and after a quick scan of the fridge, I decided on a sort of Cajun-ish Chicken Alfredo. I blackened the chicken in a spice mix I mixed up from a recipe I found over at Robbie's Recipes. To give the sauce a little zing and a bit of color, I added some Sun-dried Tomato Pesto that I've had around here forever. I know Alfredo is never the *healthy* choice, but I used a bit less than 1 cup of heavy cream and a can of evaporated milk for 10+ servings, which cut the fat content considerably without affecting the taste.

Dinner made it onto the table on time and there was plenty for everyone. The biggest surprise of all was that *both* girls *loved* it. Even ds and his girlfriend enjoyed it, though the laughed about the fact that they'd ordered the Cajun Chicken Pasta the night before at Red Lobster but both agreed that mine was better. (Have mentioned lately how much I really like ds's girlfriend? LOL!)


Cajun-ish Chicken Alfredo

1 box fettucine
4 boneless chicken breasts
Cajun blackening seasoning from Robbie's Recipes, or use your favorite
olive oil
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup heavy cream
Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
scallions, for garnish

Prepare pasta following package directions.

Pound chicken breasts thinly and coat in the blackening seasoning mix. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and saute chicken breasts until done all the way through. Set aside.

Saute garlic. After garlic starts to caramelize, add sun-dried tomato pesto. Slice chicken into stips and add to the pan. Add wine to deglaze the pan. Simmer to reduce a few minutes. Add the evaporated milk and simmer until sauce is reduced. Add cream and reduce to desired consistency. Add Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with scallions.

Andouille and Red Beans with Rice

Here's another quick and tasty dish that hits the spot after a workout. Now that dh and I are running somewhat regularly again, it seems that most of our runs are in the evening. Dinner has to be quick because I'm usually not in the mood for something long and involved after running in this heat. (It's supposed to be in the 90's here tomorrow! What happened to spring? We went from freezing to too hot almost overnight!)

I followed the recipe as written, except I substituted black beans for kidney beans, since that's what I had in the pantry. The andouille adds just the right amount of "zing" to the dish but if you don't have any, you could substitute a different smoked sausage and up the hot pepper sauce and Cajun seasoning.While the rice was cooking, I threw together a box of Cajun Cornbread mix. Yum! Add a salad and you have a healthy and great tasting meal in no time!



Andouille and Red Beans with Rice
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine, March 2006

1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
cooking spray
4 ounces andouille sausage, diced
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup pre-chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning, (1 1/2 to 2)
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 (16-ounce) can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cook rice according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking
spray. Add sausage; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Using a slotted
spoon, transfer sausage to a bowl, and keep warm.

Add bell pepper, onion, Cajun seasoning, thyme, and hot pepper sauce to pan;
sauté 3 minutes or until onions are tender. Add beans and broth to pan; cook 8
minutes or until thick, mashing half the beans. Add sausage, parsley, and salt
to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Serve
over rice.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup bean mixture and about 1/2 cup
rice)

South Beach Diet Chicken Jambalaya

Quick. Easy. Delicious. My favorite kind of recipe. This one comes from the South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook by Arthur Agatston, M.D. We aren't on the South Beach Diet. We've never been on the South Beach Diet. And actually, I have a hard time imagining myself on a carb restricted diet. ;-) But we really love this recipe. (As well as all of the others I've tried from this cookbook.)

Over time I have made a few changes to the recipe. I usually add in some andouille sausage if I have some around. The spicy sausage really adds to the depth of flavor in this dish. I also usually use yellow and red bell peppers instead of green because that what I keep around. I also will often use pre-cooked rice that I keep on-hand in the fridge and that cuts the cooking time considerably. I also add considerably more than 1/8 teaspoon of Cajun Seasoning. We like things spicy around here!

My oldest son actually says this is his favorite thing that I make. Enjoy!



Chicken Jambalaya
Recipe from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook by Arthur Agatston, M.D.

1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 bunches scallions, chopped, 2 tablespoons reserved for garnish
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup whole-grain, quick-cooking brown rice
1/8 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 cups lower sodium chicken broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, scallions, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in rice and Cajun seasoning. Add broth and tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. If jambalaya has excess moisture, cook uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with reserved scallions and serve.

Great minds ...

I picked a new recipe to try for dinner last night: Rachael Ray's Jambalaya Pasta, which she calls Jambasta. It sounded good; we all love Cajun flavors around here. Apparently, as I went back this morning to find the recipe, it's gotta be one of the most blogged about RR recipes ever. It took me forever to find the original post where I first read about it. LOL! That would be over at Kitchen Illiterate. Her pics made me jump up and start cooking, even though I'd been planning to make something else all day. When I went to find her blog, I came across this one and this one and even this one! Of course it's at the Food Network site as well as at the magazine.

I was gonna write a big, long article about it but what more can I say about it? It was good. Fairly quick. Lots of veggies. It has beer in it. :-)

We like it.

Off to find a more obscure recipe for tomorrow!

Jambasta
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Salt

1 pound penne rigate pasta with lines

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 turns of the pan

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound andouille sausage, any brand, casing removed and diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped or thinly sliced (1 large jalapeno my be substituted)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 ribs celery from the heart with greens, chopped

1 onion, chopped

Salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup beer, 1/2 bottle

1 cup chicken stock

1 (14-ounce) can, crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons hot sauce (recommended: Franks Red Hot or Tabasco) eyeball it 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1/2 pound chicken breast, diced into small pieces

1/2 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and tails removed

1/4 cup heavy cream, eyeball it

2 scallions, sliced

Heat a pot of water to a boil for pasta and add salt to it then pasta. Cook to al dente and drain.

While pasta works, heat a deep skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, butter and andouille. Brown the sausage 2 to 3 minutes to render the fat. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add garlic, peppers, celery and onions. Saute the veggies for 5 to 6minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and add flour to the pan. Cook flour with veggies 2 minutes more then whisk in beer. Cook beer out, 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, hot sauce and thyme. Bring liquid to a bubble and add chicken and shrimp. Cook 6 to 7 minutes until chicken is firm and shrimp are opaque and firm. Stir to mix in cooking juices then add in cream. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Ladle up the jambasta and top with chopped scallions and reserved crispy andouille.

Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti with Cream Sauce

A little too windy to run this afternoon. A cold front is coming through and the winds have really picked up. My swing has blown over. My empty dirt-filled flower pots that I was hoping to fill with herbs this weekend have blown all over the yard, no doubt losing all of their potting soil. The cat has taken refuge in the barn and I'm thinking "Isn't Friday usually a rest day?" ;-)

I found an interesting recipe over at Presto Pasta Night at Once Upon a Feast: Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti with Cream Sauce. Maybe not so much on the "healthy" with the cream sauce, but tasty and quick to prepare and using the half and half rather than cream does cut the fat content. There are lots of veggies in the sauce: mushrooms, bell peppers, onions. I used some leftover crab meat I had rather than shrimp. It was fine but I think next time I'll go with shrimp. I went a little light on the Cajun seasonings and next time I'd definitely add more. I like my Cajun with a kick. ;-) A loaf of artisan bread from Trader Joe's and a bagged salad and you have dinner on the table in about twenty minutes!

Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti with Cream Sauce
Recipe from Elly at Elly says Opa!

4 ounce cooked spaghetti or pasta of your choice (I use whole wheat)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled/deveined
4 ounce sliced mushrooms
1/2 small onion, diced
1 cup sliced bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup half and half
salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste


Heat the butter over medium heat in a skillet. Sprinkle the shrimp liberally with Cajun seasoning, and then saute in the pan for 1 minute per side (you are not cooking it through here). Remove with a slotted spoon.

To the skillet, add the onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic. Saute until the vegetables are tender. Add the flour and stir it for a minute or two, to cook off its rawness. Add the half and half and stir, thickening. Put the shrimp back into the skillet to cook through. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and more Cajun seasoning, if desired). Toss with hot pasta and serve.

January 1, 2008 -- A Cajun Feast

So-so on the health factor I suppose buy YeeHaw! on the Yum-o scale. I'm hosting the Mardi Gras party this year so I've been looking around for some new Cajun recipes. Tonight I decided to try three new dishes: Shrimp Po' Boys from Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross; Cajun Black Bean Soup from the Bush's Beans company website; and Grilled Chicken and Cheese Po' Boy Sandwiches from About.com.

Actually the Grilled Chicken Sandwiches were fairly healthy with their gilled chicken breast and light mayo. I cut down quite a bit on the cheese and only used one slice of provolone and a sprinkling of Gruyere that I had left over from the holidays. Whole grain bread and more veggie toppings could make it even healthier. The Black Bean soup was pretty healthy (and tasty) with lots of protein and fiber. My Shrimp Po' Boy, full of deep fried popcorn shrimp? Not so much but boy was it delicious! In an attempt to make it a little *less* bad for you, I did bake the shrimp rather than fry them and in the future I'd use cocktail sauce rather than tartar sauce because I personally don't care for tartar sauce.

I prepared the entire meal in less than 30 minutes. All three dishes were simple to assemble and made from things I already had on hand in the freezer or pantry. All three recipes are definitely keepers!

Shrimp Po' Boys
from Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

1 package frozen popcorn shrimp
2/3 cup tartar sauce
4 sandwich buns
4 lettuce leaves -- optional
4 tomato slices -- optional

Microwave or bake the shrimp according to package instructions.

Spread a heaping tablespoon of tartar sauce over each half of the buns. (The buns can be toasted first if you prefer.) Place 12 to 15 cooked shrimp (they're small) on the bottom half of each sandwich bun. Top with a lettuce leaf and a tomato slice, if desired, and cover with top half of the bun. Serve at once.


Grilled Chicken and Cheese Po'Boy Sandwich
from BBQ.about.com

4 chicken breasts
4 6 inch sandwich buns
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
8 slices provolone cheese
8 slices swiss cheese
1 tomato, sliced thinly
1/2 red sliced onion, optional
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place chicken on lightly oiled grill grate and grill for 6-8 minutes on each side. When no longer pink and juices run clear, remove from grill.

While chicken is grilling, place two slices of swiss cheese, provolone cheese, and some Parmesan cheese on one half of each bun. Place bread in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or long enough for cheese to begin to melt. Remove from oven, place mayonnaise, garnish, and chicken breast on bread.

Jambalaya Pasta

Don't even ask me about running. :-( Lately 6-10 miles is a good week. ::sigh:: Half marathon training starts in January so I'm looking at this as a little down time before I start to get serious about it again. ;-) I did find a new race I'm excited to try. It's called The Red Eye Relay. It's a 100 mile relay run with a team of 5-7 people. It's in a very hilly area of Indiana *and* it's run at night. That could make it very challenging. Our team had a great time last year at the River-to-River Relay in southern Illinois. (Go Tailwinds!) I'm looking forward to doing more relays. It's nice to have a team dimension in what is normally an individual sport.

Things have been crazy around here lately. Between three kids on different basketball teams, three kids on different wrestling teams, girls scouts (both Daisy's and Junior Girl Scouts), band concerts and Jake's book club, we've had a lot of busy, busy nights lately. Throw a dose of the flu into the mix, in addition to TNT mini-marathon training starting up and I've had very little time to cook lately. The other night I broke out an old recipe I haven't made in quite awhile. I found the recipe on the internet years ago and used to make it every couple of weeks. Somehow it dropped out of the rotation and I'd almost forgotten about it. Luckily I rediscovered it and now I have another quick and easy meal for those way-to-busy nights.

Jambalaya Pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound low fat smoked turkey sausage -- cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic --pressed
1 jar spaghetti sauce -- your favorite
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
cayenne pepper -- to taste
12 ounces linguini -- uncooked

In a skillet over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add sausage; cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add the chopped peppers, onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until tender. Stir in pasta sauce and remaining ingredients except pasta. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cook 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Spoon sauce over hot pasta.