Recipes For A Hot Cajun Holiday

I have been seeing Cajun cookbooks, Cajun history books, and Cajun music CDs everywhere I turn, so I'm sharing some more recipes from the Cajun part of my collection.

In fact, when I cook for a holiday, I enjoy making it an all-Cajun menu.

The music video below is an example of old time Cajun music and if you listen to the themes of the Red Green Show out of Toronto, Ontario you will hear similarities in the instruments and such. The Acadians/Cajuns were originally from Nova Scotia. Whenever I hear Red Green's music, It reminds me of the Cajun restaurant Michaul's in New Orleans.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
• 2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced - for flavoring oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Over medium heat in a heavy skillet, heat the oil.
• To flavor the oil, saute minced garlic in oil, stirring one or twice, until golden brown.
• Remove the garlic and dispose of it.
• Add peanuts and rest of spices except the sale to the hot oil.
• Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring once or twice until peanuts are warm.
• Removed peanuts from oil with a slotted spoon to a paper towel.
• Sprinkle salt over peanuts and let cool. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature no more than 30 days.

Ingredients

• 6 large chayote squash - 3 to 4 pounds. Peel them, remove seeds, and cut to 1/2 to 1/3-inch sized dice to result in 8 Cups of chayote.
• 1.5 Cups red onion, chopped
• 1 Cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Cup green bell pepper chopped
• 1 Cup thinly sliced green onions, with part of the green tails as well as the whites
• 6 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place all ingredients at once into a large mixing bowl and toss them to blend.
• Add salt and pepper to taste; toss and bled again.
• Cover the bowl with a plate or aluminum foil (recyclable) and chill in the refrigerator for 2 - 4 hours, tossing the ingredients once in a while to blend favors. You can chill for up to 8 hours before the chayote many become mushy.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Cups cooked brown rice or long grain wild rice
• ½ Cup vegetable broth
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Cup green scallions or onions, chopped (14 - 16 onions)
• 1 Cup green bell pepper, chopped coarse
• 1 Cup red bell pepper, chopped coarse
• ¼ Cup shredded carrot
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

INSTRUCTIONS

• Warm the broth up to to boiling in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• In the broth, cook the garlic, onions, and bell peppers, 6 - 8 minutes stirring until tender.
• Add remaining ingredients and cook until all are heated through.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tablespoons Butter or low-fat margarine
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 2 pounds collard or other greens, chopped coarse
• 1 chili pepper, seeded and chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook all of the other ingredients at once in the melted butter, stirring until onions and greens are tender, Drain and serve wqith hot sauce at the table.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 stick Butter
• 1 pound Andouille Sausages, cut into 1/2-inch long chunks
• A 12-to 14 ounce package breakfast sausage, bulk - or purchase from the butcher department
• 3 Cups chopped onions, 2 Cups chopped celery, 2 Cups chopped red bell peppers
• 1 Cup chopped scallions
• 2 teaspoons thyme, 1 teaspoon sage
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• A 12 ounce bag or box of cornbread stuffing mix - make your own or use Pepperidge Farm ® or a local brand
• 1.5 Cups chicken broth, low-fat and/or low-salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a heavy skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter.
• Place sausage pieces into the butter and cook until brown, breaking it up with a fork.
• Pour in Chopped vegetables, site, cover and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 - 12 minutes. Sit occasionally so as not to stick or burn.
• Add thyme, sage, and hot sauce, stir and put stiffing into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the stuffing mix and blend.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9- or 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
• Pour an amount of broth into the stuffing to moisten it, stir and put stuffing into the baking dish.
• Cover dish with buttered foil and put the butter side down. Bake until heated well, 25 - 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until top golden-crisp.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 Pounds of ground beef
• 1 Tbsp seasoned salt
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 Cup green bell pepper, chopped coarse
• 1 jalapeño, chopped fine
• ½ cup chopped onion/scallion
• 2 cans (14 to 16 ounces) black eyed peas, rinsed/drained
• 1 can stewed tomatoes with juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 Cup Baking Mix
• 1 Cup yellow cornmeal
• ½ Cup milk or light cream
• ½ Cup spring water

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pre-heat oven to 375°F; in a non-stick skillet, cook the beef with seasoned salt, white pepper, bell pepper, jalapeño, and onion over medium heat, stirring until beef is brown; drain excess fat.
• Using same pan, add black eyed peas, tomatoes, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder; stir.
• Scoop the hot food into ungreased rectangular baking dish about 9" x 13" and set aside to rest the mixture.
• Meanwhile, using a medium large mixing bowl, add all remaining ingredient, stir well and pour evenly over the surface of the casserole mixture.
• Bake this dish about 45 minutes, golden on top, and serve.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large whole Eggs
• 1¼ Cup Sugar or Honey
• 1½ teaspoon Vanilla, plus 1 teaspoon for whipped cream
• 1¼ teaspoon Grated Nutmeg
• 1¼ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 4 Tblsp Unsalted Butter, melted
• 2 Cups Milk or light cream
• ½ Cup Chopped Black Walnuts
• ½ cup Chopped Baking Chocolate or chocolate chips
• 5 cups stale Bread, cubed
• 1 Pint (16 ounces) heavy whipping Cream
• Powdered Sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees F. Cooking -spray a 13 "x 9" baking pan, bottom and all sides. Add bread cubes to the pan and arrange in a layer.
• In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar or honey until fluffy.
• Add vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, milk, walnuts and cup butter. Mix well.
• Pour the contents of the bowl over the bread cubes and press the bread down so as to cover all with the liquid.
• Bake 45 to 60 minutes until golden brown.
• Serve warm with a scoop of rich French Vanilla ice cream or dust the top of each serving with powdered sugar and cinnamon. You can also pour a small amount of Bourbon over the top.