SPICY FOODS, CAJUN/CREOLE

I worked with a lady from New Orleans and she 
gave me tips for making quick Jambalaya. She 
used to make it the authentic way until she
discovered Zatarain"s Jambalaya Mix.  She said
she was on a budget since she relocated to our
area. It would cost a fortune to purchase all of 
the spices she needed  to cook authentic this
meal.  She discovered that Zatarains tasted like 
the real thing. She used left over cooked chicken breast and frozen cooked shrimp.  

 

 EASY JAMBALAYA

    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 medium onion, chopped
    1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
    1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
    1 (14.5 ounce) can  regular diced tomatoes, undrained
     1 cup water
    1 (8 ounce) package ZATARAIN'S® Reduced Sodium Jambalaya Mix
    1 pound frozen cooked shrimp, thawed
    1 (12 ounce) package turkey smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch sliced
    2 (5oz) cans premium  chicken breast, drained,  flaked
    chopped parsley for garnish
    
    Heat oil in large deep skillet or 5-quart Dutch oven on medium heat. Add onion and bell peppers;
cook and stir 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender. 
    Stir in tomatoes, water and Jambalaya Mix. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and
simmer 15 minutes. 
    Cover and cook 10 minutes, until  rice is done, stirring occasionally. Stir in shrimp, chicken, and
sausage. Simmer on low heat until meat is heated through. Add broth or water if getting dry. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

EASY DIRTY RICE

• 1/2 lb ground ground beef
  1/2  lb ground turkey
• 2  cups water
• 1 (8 ounce) package ZATARAIN'S® Dirty Rice Mix, low sodium 
• 1 tablespoons butter
•  1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
•  1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 
  

Cook ground beef and turkey in large skillet on medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain fat; set aside. Add water to same skillet; bring to boil. Stir in Rice Mix and ground beef and turkey; return to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Add bell peppers; cook and stir 3 minutes or until tender. Add to rice mixture; stir until well mixed. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.

 

SHRIMP & OKRA GUMBO

2 lb frozen shrimp, thawed
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cayenne pepper 

1/2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
1/2 C olive oil
2 lb chopped okra
3 T tomato paste
1 tomato, chopped
1 C chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C chopped celery 
1/2 C chopped green bell pepper
6 C water
1/2 C chopped green onions

•  

1. Season the shrimp with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and cayenne and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the okra and saute for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste, tomato, onion, garlic, celery and green bell pepper and saute for 15 more minutes.
2. Add the water and season to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer for 15 more minutes. Add the green onion to the soup and stir thoroughly.

SHRIMP CREOLE

  2lb frozen, cooked, shrimp, thawed 

1/4 C butter or margarine

3 medium onions, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 medium green bell peppers, finely chopped (2 cups)

2 medium stalks celery, finely chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 C water

2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cayenne

2 dried bay leaves

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

6 C hot cooked rice

 

• In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic in butter about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender.
• Stir in remaining ingredients except rice and shrimp. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes.
• Stir in shrimp. Cover and cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is heated through. Remove bay leaves. Serve shrimp mixture over rice.