Cajun Stew

CAJUN STEW

Please read the whole recipe first. Prep all ingredients first before cooking. It is easier than it looks and fun to make. Great for a party of 6 people!

Yes it does take a while to cook; prep 30 minutes and 1 ½ hour to cook, but well worth it.

1 large onion, cubed

1 red bell pepper, cubed

1 cup celery, cubed

2 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 bay leaf

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can 29 ounce roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained

3 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons LD’s Cajun Spices

1 pound kielbasa, sausage cut into bite size pieces

2 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1 pound ground hamburger meat

1 pound frozen sliced okra, thawed and rinsed

3 green onions, chopped

*In a large pot add oil and butter on medium heat, add flour and make a roux until golden brown to chocolate colored (20 to 25 minutes). Stirring constantly!!

*In a skillet brown hamburger meat, when brown stir in onion, bell pepper and celery. Add 1 tbl Cajun Spice and cook until vegetables are tender.

*Add garlic and bay leaf to brown roux, stirring

*Add can of crushed tomatoes and chicken broth and 1 tbl Cajun Spice

*Add hamburger mixture to the roux, tomato and chicken broth

*In same skillet add the cut chicken breast to medium heat to brown the sides. Add 1 tbl Cajun Spice to chicken.  

*Once brown add chicken and the cut sausage to stew mixture. Stir and reduce stew to low heat and cover.

*Cook for 30 minutes covered, checking to make sure it does not stick to bottom of pan and stir.

*Add thawed and rinsed off okra to stew.

*Cook for 20 minutes on low with lid on, then reduce heat to simmer for the next 10 minutes uncover. Stirring occasionally, tasting for more Cajun Spice or Salt.

*Discard bay leaf and serve stew over rice. (3 cups of white rice is the best)

**This Cajun Stew can be frozen. Thaw in microwave or overnight in refrigerator.

**If you fix the roux and brown hamburger meat on stove, you can place everything in a crock-pot on heat for 3 hours stirring every hour.  To me it tastes different, but still good.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Gluten Free, Dairy Free & Refine Sugar Free

Banana Bread

Preheat Oven 325*

2 loaf pans sprayed and dusted with gluten free flour, I use coconut flour for this.

DRY INGREDIENTS

1 cup King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix

1 cup Ground Oat Bran

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

½ teaspoon Salt

3 teaspoons LD’s Recipes Fall Spice

Place all dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk together and set aside.

WET INGREDIENTS

3 well ripped Bananas, mashed

½ cup Almond Milk or whatever milk you use.

½ cup Agave Nectar or (Applesauce can be used if you do, reduce the oat bran to ½ cup.)

6 Eggs, yokes separated from whites, save whites

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil or Butter or Vegetable Oil

Using a mixer, mix all wet ingredients, except egg whites, together until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients until all ingredients are wet with no lumps. Set aside for 10 minutes.

With well cleaned beaters, beat egg whites until they are stiff. Gently fold in the egg whites, small amount at a time into the banana bread mixture.

Separate mixture into the two loaf pans. Bake at 325* for 40 minutes.

I store mine in the refrigerator. After the loaves cool, slice them and place them into a sealed container.  

** You can always add ½ cup chopped pecans

      Brown Sugar can be used instead of Agave Nectar, blend it first with the bananas so there would be no lumps of sugar.

     

LD'S RECIPES BBQ Meat Rub

A dry meat rub is what I like for beef. 

LD'S Recipe BBQ Meat Rub has been my families vote for pretty tasty steaks.
**Cocoa Powder is in the recipe. (I can remove the cocoa powder if someone is allergic.)

Try some on your brisket, beef ribs, tri-tips and steaks.

Recipe depends on the size of the beef you are marinating of how much Rub you use.

Brisket & Beef Ribs- dry meat completely, one tablespoon of LD's Recipe BBQ Meat Rub on each side and rub it in. Cover the meat with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for one hour. Remove plastic and smoke or grill.

Tri- Tip - Gallon Ziploc bag add 2 tablespoons of LD'S Recipe BBQ Meat Rub, 1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar, 1/3 cup Vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard.  Place Tri-Tip into the bag, marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours. For 25-30 minutes cook meat on grill for every 4 minutes flip. Baste meat with the marinate each time. Insert thermometer into the center, it should read 130*. Let rest for at least 10 minutes.

Steaks - On each steak rub in 1 teaspoon of oil all over, Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of LD'S Recipe BBQ Meat Rub on both sides. Depends on the size of steak it could be less or more Rub. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Time to Grill

FALL MUFFINS WITH APPLES

I love this time of year!! Easy cooking for breakfast that you can make a day ahead. Take them to work or parties to help bring in the Fall flavors. 

Fall Muffins

2 cups Pioneer Mix, All-Purpose

2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

3 tablespoons Sugar

1 Egg

1/4 cup Raisins

1/2 cup diced Apple, (about an half an red apple with peeling)

1/2 cup minute Oats

1 teaspoon LD’s Fall Spice

1/4 cup Oil

1/3 cup Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix all ingredients together with wooden spoon until smooth. Spray a muffin pan, fill ¾ up. Bake 350*, 15 minutes.

Options to do;

Option 1: Crumble Top

1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar

1 tablespoon granulated Sugar

1 tablespoon Flour

1/8 teaspoon LD’s Fall Spice

1 tablespoon cold Butter

Mix dry ingredients together and cut in the cold butter with a fork.  Crumble a teaspoon or more on each muffin before baking.

Option 2: Butter Icing

On Low Heat in small pan melt

2 tablespoon Butter

2 teaspoons Milk

½ teaspoon Vanilla

Off heat, Add and whisk in ½ cup Powder Sugar

After muffins cook and cool on a rack. Drizzle icing onto each muffin. (or dip them)

LD's Recipes Fall Spice

My husband walked through the house and said it smelled like Christmas. HeeHee! We love Ginger Cookies, so today I made my favorite recipe with my new Fall Spice. Success! I am very happy with the results.

GINGER COOKIES

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons LD’s Recipes Fall Spice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup molasses

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger

Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, LD’s Recipes Fall Spice, ginger, and salt and then combine the mixture with your hands. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the eggs, and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 1 more minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined.

Scoop the dough with 2 spoons or a small ice cream scoop. With your hands, roll each cookie into a 1 3/4-inch ball and then flatten them lightly with your fingers. Press both sides of each cookie in granulated sugar and place them on the sheet pans. Bake for exactly 13 minutes. The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

LD's Recipe Fall Spice

SWEET POTATOES Casserole

With Orange Juice

3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 apple, peeled, and diced small

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoon LD’s Recipe Fall Spice

1 cup butter, softened, divided

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

½ cup Oatmeal (optional)

1 cup chopped pecans

Dash of Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  In a large bowl combine sweet potatoes, sugar, orange juice, apples, eggs, vanilla extract, LD’s Recipe Fall Spice and 1/2 cup butter. Spoon mixture into a deep casserole dish.

 Combine remaining 1/2 cup softened butter, brown sugar, flour, oatmeal and pecans. Blend until a crumble texture. Spoon over casserole dish.

Cook 30 minutes

Cook's Notes: I use the original cream soup in most of my casseroles. I find that the lower fat and sodium products tend to be watery in casseroles. Okay to omit the Rotel and substitute all plain diced tomatoes; can also drain the Rotel to tone it down and just loosen the sauce a bit with some beef broth.

Using LD's Recipes Italian Spice

Baked Spaghetti

    1 pound of lean ground beef

    1 pound of spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained

    6 slices bacon

    2 cloves of garlic, minced

    1 cup chopped onion

    1 cup chopped bell pepper

    2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian style diced tomatoes, with liquid

    2 (10 ounce) cans Rotel tomatoes, with liquid

    1 tablespoon LD's Recipes Italian Spice 

    2 cups grated Cheddar or Mozzarella cheese, divided

    1 (10-3/4 ounce) can original cream of mushroom soup

    1/4 cup water

    1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a Large 9 × 13 x 2 inch baking dish with non stick spray.

Break the spaghetti noodles in half once or twice to make them more bite sized and drop them into a large stockpot filled with boiling, well salted water. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet; remove, drain and set aside. Cut the bacon in half lengthwise, stack a few slices together and cut into small pieces, dropping it directly into that same skillet. Cook until only slightly crispy; remove and let drain on a paper towel, reserving the bacon fat in the skillet.

Add the onion and green bell pepper to the bacon fat and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. To that, add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and the cooked beef and bacon. Bring up to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Layer half of the spaghetti noodles into the prepared baking dish. Spoon half of the meat sauce over spaghetti. Add half of the cheddar and then repeat all three layers. Combine the cream of mushroom soup with the water and blend well. Drop over the top layer of cheese and carefully spread across the top. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees F, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly around the edges.

Cook's Notes: I use the original cream soup in most of my casseroles. I find that the lower fat and sodium products tend to be watery in casseroles. Okay to omit the Rotel and substitute all plain diced tomatoes; can also drain the Rotel to tone it down and just loosen the sauce a bit with some beef broth.