New Orleans Recipe: Crescent City Shrimp Jambalaya

From Denny:  Not in the mood for the chicken version of jambalaya?  No problem; make it with shrimp and andouille sausage for a change of pace.  Shrimp is ridiculously popular down South that we are forever creating new dishes to keep up with the demand.

Louisiana cooking is based off of French cooking and with the same mindset of employing whatever food sources are at hand.  From the bayous or spillways teeming with yummy crayfish to the gorgeous shrimp and oysters from the Gulf of Mexico we create recipes around our bountiful food.

Kick it up a notch with Louisiana food products like from Zatarain's that help us make our meals cook that much faster and we are all a happy lot.  This recipe employs Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix of rice and seasonings.  You provide the fresh shrimp, sausage, onion, bell pepper, parsley and tomatoes.

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New Orleans Chef Recipe: Jambalaya For A Crowd

From Denny:  Need an easy recipe for a crowd during Mardi Gras season?  Chef John Besh of New Orleans paired with Zatarain's to create this faster version of jambalaya using Zatarain's Dirty Rice mix.  In fact, the famous chef has a lot of great recipes on their site.

What makes jambalaya so tasty is the browning of the chicken and andouille sausage, mixing in the veggies like celery and onion, some liquid (some people like to use chicken stock in place of water) and then the rice to cook in all those tasty seasonings and juices.

It's a fabulous one-pot meal that is easy to make and a real crowd pleaser.  Whether you take your time to make jambalaya all "from scratch" or choose this shortcut with the dirty rice mix (rice and seasonings) you will enjoy the result!

Jambalaya is such an easy dish to serve for entertaining, especially the holidays like Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays.  We make this dish all year round it's that popular.  If you have never cooked jambalaya then give this recipe a try!  If you live outside of Louisiana you can always substitute your favorite pork sausage.  You can find Zatarain's products online to order too, for individuals or restaurant service.

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Appetizer: Layered Chili, Cheese, Roasted Corn Dip

From Denny:  Just think of all the yummy things you can do with the simple pinto bean.  The first idea that comes to mind is a Mexican style layered hearty party dip perfect for tailgating or holiday parties.

This easy dip is layered with pureed beans with spices and fat-free cream cheese, salsa and a rice mixture made up of skillet roasted corn, chiles and spices.  All this goodness is topped with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and then baked for about 30 minutes.

How simple is that?  Yeah, I thought you'd like this one!  At this holiday time of year we can all get a bit frazzled so easy recipes like this are welcome.  This one certainly qualifies as a meal at our house so why make anything else?

You could add a simple salad - and chocolate pretzels for dessert.  Yes, I have a chocolate blog too.  Come on; you had to know. :)  Check it out if you enjoy chocolate recipes:  Romancing The Chocolate.

Recipe: Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya

Image via Wikipedia

Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya

Here’s a different twist on a yummy Louisiana dish: using black-eyed peas! These peas are very popular here, usually as a side dish.

From: Frances Durham

Yield: Serves about 12


Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya


Ingredients:


1 (16 ounce) can Trappey’s black-eyed peas with jalapeños, undrained

1 ½ cups Uncle Ben’s uncooked rice

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained

½ cup butter

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces

Chopped garlic to taste

Salt and pepper to taste


Directions: Combine the black-eyed peas, rice, onion, beef broth, mushrooms, butter and sausage in an electric rice cooker. Season to taste with garlic, salt and pepper.

Cook according to directions from the rice cooker, gently stirring once when the cooker reaches the warm mode.