Healthier Red Beans and Rice

I am so proud of this meal. All the delicious-ness of regular red beans and rice but less fat and calories. I plugged it into sparkrecipes and it came out to around 300 calories and about 7 g of fat per serving, not bad! If you didn't know, I lived in New Orleans for 13 years. And I am a sucker for cajun/creole food. I have a traditional red beans and rice dish in my blog, but I honestly don't think I'll make this dish the traditional way again (not any time soon anyway). In place of white rice I used brown, and instead of the pork smoked sausage I used turkey smoked sausage. I really couldn't tell the difference either. This dish came out so creamy (thanks to mashing the beans a bit) as well as hearty. Perfect for a traditional red beans and rice Monday.

I used my favorite cajun seasonings to spice things up. The dish wouldn't be the same without them.

I'm submitting this recipe to Joelen's (Joelen's Culinary Adventures) Cajun/Nola Eats blogging event. This event focuses on Famous New Orleans Chefs and is also an avenue to remember those who have suffered through Katrina.

Healthier Red Beans and Rice

(makes 6 large servings)

2 cups brown rice

2 cans dark red kedney beans drained and rinsed

1 cup bell pepper (I used orange but any color will do)

1 medium onion finely diced

1 cup diced celery

3 garlic cloves minced

1 Tbs. canola oil

1 bay leaf

1 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley

1 link turkey smoked sausage chopped into half moons

5 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth/stock

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 Tbs (or more to taste) Tony Chachere's creole seasoning

cayenne pepper to taste

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add canola oil. Add onions, peppers and celery (The Cajun Trinity) and saute about 5 minutes. Add sausage and saute about 3 minutes more. Add rice and garlic and stir occaisionally for about 3-5 minutes until rice is toasted. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. When pot comes to a boil reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer 35 minutes. Uncover and mash some of the beans with a potato masher or a large spoon so mixture gets creamy. Cook uncovered for about 10-15 more minutes. Serve with pepper sauce.

A Quicker Gumbo

In honor of Fat Tuesday, I wanted to make a New Orleans inspired dish. Gumbo is what I was craving, but ugh, who wants to do all that work on a week night?

When I was in Nola a couple months back I happened to stumble across a product that I have doubted until tonight. Jarred Roux. I doubted it because I pride myself on cooking a roux the right way, standing over a pot stirring from anywhere to a half hour to an hour.

When I first opened the jar I was immediately turned off. It was a big brown clump surrounded by oil. Hmmmm I thought, this is going to be interesting.

I sauteed up my veggies, added the sausage and then in went the brown clump and oil. After stirring for a minute it started to come together. I added the stock, stirred again and lo and behold, gumbo was in the making. All in about 15 minutes. I'm shocked that this actually worked. Gumbo in 30-40 minutes? Yup. Impressed, hell yes. I don't know if I'll be able to find this product here in Atlanta, but it is nice to know that such a product exists.

Quick Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

2 Tbs. oil

1 medium onion diced

2 stalks celery chopped

1 green pepper diced

3 cloves garlic minced

Meat from a small rotessirie chicken (about 2 1/2 cups)

1lb andouille sausage diced

1 1/2 cups frozen sliced okra

1/2 jar Richard's Cajun Roux

8 cups chicken stock

1 Tbs. cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's)

2-3 dashes Worcestershire

Hot sauce to taste (I use Crystal's)

File powder to top rice

Fresh chopped parsley to garnish

Heat a big heavy pot over medium heat and add oil. When oil has heated add onion, celery and green pepper (the trinity). Saute about 5-8 minutes until onions just start to brown. Add sausage and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes more. Add roux, worcestershire, and seasonings and stir until everything is covered and smooth. Add chicken stock while stirring continuously. Add chicken bring to a boil and simmer 15-20 minutes. Add Okra the last 5 minutes. Serve with white rice, hot sauce and french bread.

Happy Mardi Gras Part II

One king cake just wasn't enough. I made the first cake with fruit filling, but I also wanted a more traditional king cake. So I found the perfect recipe here. It was fairly easy until it got to the part about incorporating the butter. I don't have a KA mixer (boo hoo) so I tried to cut it in. And let me just say that was a little too much of a pain in the arse. So I ended up using the tools God gave me... yes, I used my hands (I promise they were clean!) I have never smelled something so delicious baking up in my kitchen. I swear I was at the mall smelling the same aroma I do when Cinnabon is cooking up a batch of rolls. MMMMM.

It didn't come out as pretty as I wished, but I don't care. The taste was too outstanding to let that detail bother me. But what did bother me was that I cut the part of the cake that had the baby. Damn! It's tradition that whoever gets the baby has to buy the next king cake. So I guess I'll have to buy myself one, or make another.

Again, I'm so sad to not be in Nola, but this cake truly brings the excitement of the season to me. Maybe I can throw some beads at Chad to get the full effect. Or, vice versa, and I'll show him something, (wink, wink).

King Cake
(recipe by Danno from Nola Cuisine)

For the Brioche:
1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast
2 Tbsp Warm Water (115 degree F)
1 tsp Iodized Salt
2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Milk2 tsp Orange Zest, minced
2 Cups All Purpose Flour, sifted
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 Eggs, beaten
1 1/4 sticks cold Unslated Butter, cut into very small dice
1 Egg beaten and 2 Tbsp water, for the eggwash

Dissolve the yeast in the workbowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, let stand until frothy.Dissolve the salt, sugar, orange zest and milk in a small bowl. When dissolved combine the milk mixture with the yeast mixture. Mix the cinnamon with the flour.With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, then gradually add the flour, until all is incorporated. Knead on low speed for 10 minutes, or until a smooth elastic dough is formed. A little more flour may be necessary. With the motor running, incorporate the butter into the dough, a little at a time but rather quickly so that it doesn’t heat up and melt.Turn the dough into an oiled bowl, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour in a warm spot.When the dough has doubled in bulk punch it down, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Roll the dough out to a 6 x 18 inch rectangle. Spead the Pecan filling (recipe below) out in the middle of the rectangle along the whole length, leaving about 1 1/2 inch on each side. Place the baby trinket somewhere with the filling. Fold the length of the dough over the filling and roll up tightly, leaving the seam side down. Turn the roll into a circle, seam side down and put one end inside of the other to hide the seam, and seal the circle. Place the cake on a baking sheet and let rise, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
Place the king cake into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
When the cake cools, brush with some of the glaze (recipe below) thinned out with more cold water. This will help the sugars adhere. Decorate the cake with the colored sugars and drizzle some of the thicker glaze onto the cake.
Place on a large round serving plate and decorate with Mardi Gras beads, doubloons and whatever else that you like.

For the Pecan filling:
1 Cup Pecan halves, broken up slightly and roasted until fragrant
2/3 Cup Brown
1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
1 pinch of salt
4 Tbsp Steen’s Cane Syrup
Combine all of the ingredients together.

For the glaze
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tbsp Bourbon
Water (enough to make a paste that can be drizzled) I used milk
Combine the sugar and bourbon, whisk in enough water to make a glaze that can be drizzled.

See the baby? That was totally meant for someone else.

Shrimp Etouffee

Needing to free up some room in my freezer, I decided to use one of the 10lbs. of shrimp that was stocked in there from my last trip to New Orleans. I wasn't in the mood for a pasta dish, and didn't feel like grilling them so I browsed the web until I found something to satisfy my fancy. I used the recipe for stock and the etouffee from THIS website. I visit this site often when I am in the mood for some good cajun recipes, not one has failed me yet.

I served this with rice and crusty french bread, what else?

Shrimp Etouffee

• 1lb. 20/25 size shrimp shells removed and reserved for stock
• 2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 Cup Onion, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 3/4 Cup fresh Tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 Cups Shrimp Stock (I actually used 3 + cups. and at the end I added a flour slurry to thicken a bit)
• 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• bundle of Fresh Thyme
• 2 tsp Homemade Worcestershire (I used store bought)
• tsp Hot Sauce (I use Crystal)
• 1/2 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp minced Italian Parsley
• 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Season the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of the Creole Seasoning.Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery, saute until translucent. Whisk in the flour to make a blonde roux, stirring constantly, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining Creole Seasoning. Add a small amount of the shrimp stock, stir well to form a paste, add the remaining stock gradually, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You may need a little more stock, but the end result should be the consistency of a gravy, not too thick, not too thin.Add the tomatoes, garlic, Thyme, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, a little salt, black pepper, and Cayenne. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.Add the shrimp, green onions, and parsley, simmer for 10 minutes more or until the shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the 3 Tbsp butter, and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Theme Week Wrap up: Nola: Bread Pudding

To wrap up my Nola theme week, I decided to make a Louisiana Classic. Bread Pudding with a whiskey sauce. Bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts because it isn't overly sweet and I love the texture. It is great to make if you have some day (or two or three) old bread laying around. I just happened to have some french bread left over from our dinners last week which is where I got the idea to make bread pudding.

I used a recipe from a restaurant in Nola called Commanders Palace, the only thing I omit is the meringue. If you ever get a chance to go to Nola, try and get a reservation to Commander's Palace. The food, service and atmosphere are fantastic.

Bread Pudding

• 5 cups day old french bread dut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/2 tsp.)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 cup raisins

Whiskey sauce

• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
• 1 Tbsp. Water
• 3 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1/4 cup Bourbon

To make the bread pudding, first preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8" square baking pan. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then work in the heavy cream. Add the vanilla, then the bread cubes. Allow bread to soak up custard.
Place the raisins in a greased pan. Top with the egg mixture, which prevents the raisins from burning. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the pudding has a golden brown color and is firm to the touch. If a toothpick inserted in the pudding comes out clean, it is done. The mixture of pudding should be nice and moist, not runny or dry. Cool to room temperature.
To make the whiskey sauce, place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Whisk corn starch and water together, and add to cream while whisking. Bring to a boil. Whisk and let simmer for a few seconds, taking care not to burn the mixture on the bottom. Remove from heat.
Stir in the sugar and the bourbon. Taste to make sure the sauce has a thick consistency, a sufficiently sweet taste, and a good bourbon flavor. Cool to room temperature.

Theme Week: Nola: Barbecue Shrimp

• Now this isn't your typical barbecue with a grill and a BBQ sauce. Well, not a typical bbq sauce that is. New Orleans has a special way of preparing BBQ shrimp, and it is absolutely lip smacking good. It starts out with head-on/shell on shrimp (the heads hold so much flavor!), LOTS of butter, and of course some cajun seasoning and fresh herbs.
  I haven't had this dish in quite a while. Probably not for about a year. I don't know why, I guess I just forgot about it. But when I was browsing the web for more Nola cuisine for my theme week, I came across many recipes for it. I also have a little spiral cookbook that I have no memory of buying called "Classic Cajun Cooking" (you know the kind, churches/schools sell them for fundraisers) that I forgot about and there was a recipe for the Nola style BBQ shrimp in it as well. Instead of following a recipe, I kind of took a bit from all of them. You must serve this with a crusty bread, preferably french. The sauce is just too good not to have something to sop it up with. I also made spicy boiled red potatoes and oven roasted corn on the cob. A nice beer would also pair nicely with this dish. Recommended: Abita Amber.
  
  
  BBQ Shrimp
  
  1 lb head on/shell on large shrimp (I used 21-25 shrimp but unfortunately they didn't have the head on)
  2 sticks of unsalted butter
  4 cloves garlic minced
  1 small or half a medium onion finely chopped
  1 sprig of fresh rosemary finely chopped
  2 Tbs. fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped
  1 tsp. dried thyme
  1 Tbs. fresh oregano finely chopped
  3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
  Juice of half a lemon
  3/4 bottle of amber beer (Abita if you can find it)
  1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  2 Tbs. Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's)
  1 Tbs. Crystal hot sauce
  
  Heat oven to 400 degrees. melt 3 tbs. butter in a large cast iron skillet and saute onion for a couple of minutes. Add garlic, and the rest of the herbs seasonings and saute for a couple minutes more. Add the beer and lime juice and let reduce for about 5-8 minutes (about half). Add cold butter and stir. Add shrimp try to get them in an even layer and put in oven for 12 minutes.
  
  Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob
  
  • 2 cobs husks and silk removed
  • 1 Tbs. butter
  • Foil for wrapping

  Melt butter and baste corn evenly on all sides. Wrap in foil and cook in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

  Spicy Boiled Potatoes
  
  
  • 5 small new potatoes halved
  • 1 Tbs. cajun seasoning
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 4-5 dashes Crystal hot sauce
  Wash and cut potatoes in half add to pot and cover with cold water. Heat over med. high/high heat until it comes to a rolling boil, add seasonings and cook about 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.

Theme Week: New Orleans: Gumbo

For the next week I have decided to cook based on my Nola favorites. I have been craving the spicy and hearty food Nola is famous for so this idea of mine is going to work out fine. On tonight's menu it's Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, a huge favorite of mine as well as Chad's.
I lived in Nola from 1989-2003, and although I go back a couple times a year I miss that city very much.
There was always something to do in Nola. With its wonderful history, beautiful parks with spanish moss hanging from the tree limbs, the colorful neighborhoods, interesting shopping boutiques (in the french quarter and on magazine st.), and of course the food. I was pretty damn content while living there (Mid City a block from City Park).
Tonight I made a chicken and andouille (has to be andouille!) sausage gumbo. I decided to make the roux ahead of time to cut down on the cooking time. If you have ever made a gumbo roux you'll know that it takes a good 20-30 minutes of stirring until you've got the perfect chocolate color. I'll admit, I stirred this roux for about 45. I was so afraid of burning it because if you do you have to start over. Next time I'll crank the heat a bit to cut down the time. I served with a scoop of rice, a sprinkling of file powder, and crusty french bread for dipping. Oh, and I always have a bottle of Crystal or Louisiana brand hot sauce to kick it up a little more.

The Roux:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup of vegetable oil (you can use any oil except olive, or fat such as bacon drippings or lard)

Heat oil in a heavy cast iron skillet over med. low heat add flour whisk until completely combined. replace the whisk with a wooden spoon a stir away until you reach the color of chocolate. The roux will change color stages after about every 3-5 minutes, so this should take about 20-30 minutes, but maybe more depending on your heat level. Be careful not to burn, and make sure to have a beer or glass of wine handy to keep you company!

The Other Ingredients:

• Meat from rotisserie chicken (I cheated this time, you could use any meat you like and roast or put in raw. If you do raw, make sure to simmer for a couple hours. I personally love dark meat in a gumbo)
• 3 cups andouille sausage (slice link in half long ways, then by half again and dice)
• 1 1/2 cup chopped onion (or one whole med. onion)
• 2-3 celery stalks chopped
• 1 med. green pepper chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 cup fresh okra trimmed on both ends and sliced
• 7 cups chicken stock
• couple dashes of worcestershire
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• couple shakes of Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning
• Pepper to taste

Procedure:

Heat a little oil in a heavy stock pot over medium heat, and saute the trinity (onions, celery, pepper) until onions are soft. Add sausage and cook for about 4 minutes. Add chicken, okra and garlic and cook for a few minutes longer. Pour in roux and mix together thouroghly. Add cold stock (must be cold!) and use your whisk to combine. If it looks like it has seperated just keep stirring, it will come together. Add a couple dashes of worstershire, and the remaining seasonings and let bring to a boil then let simmer for 45 minutes-hour. Serve with steamed rice, file and hot sauce. And don't forget a nice crusty bread