Cajun Seasoning Mix

It wasn't until very recently that I came to appreciate the complexity of Cajun flavoring. Growing up, spicy food was just about unheard of around the dinner table. The first time I tried Chipotle I thought my tongue would set on fire.

Now I'm no stranger to heat though I still like spicy to be a subtle hint of flavor instead of a completely overwhelming factor of the meal. I'm very glad my taste buds weren't burnt out while I was still young. I know a few too many people who have to douse their food in hot sauce to taste it.

This spice mix is just the right amount of heat and flavor. There is a slight spiciness to it but it's also has a nice herb-y flavor. 

My favorite use for this is my Lighter Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe, but its super versatile. Lately I've been considering mixing it into some burger meat for a bit of a twist on my standard hamburger seasoning.

Cajun Seasoning Mix

(Recipe slightly altered from allrecipes)

2 1/2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Combine and store in an airtight container (I like a mason jar). 

Easy Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan was one of the first dishes I attempted to cook once I'd moved out on my own, and one that I hadn't properly mastered until just now thanks entirely to Skinny Taste. 

The recipes I had tried before were a little...excessive. You'd have to pre-fry the chicken on the stove and the chicken was doused in a huge amount of sauce that just made everything soggy. None even came close to the crispy, restaurant style chicken parm I wanted.

But this recipe was totally different. Baked in the oven, it isn't as fat heavy as other, pan fried versions and with just a couple spoonfuls of tomato sauce spread on top in the last few minutes of cooking, sogginess is a thing of the past.

I like laying on a nice slice of mozzarella instead of using the shredded cheese the original recipe uses but that is entirely up to your preference or whatever you have in the fridge. It also neatly seals the marinara onto the chicken in a delicious cheesy force field.


Easy Chicken Parmesan
Serves two
(recipe from Skinny Taste)


2 skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 slices mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup marinara sauce


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with non-stick spray.

Lay the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound until even thickness throughout.

On a plate, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a bowl.

One breast at a time, dip the chicken into the melted butter then lay into the breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides. Place the breaded chicken breast onto the prepared baking dish and repeat with the remaining breast.

Once both pieces of chicken are breaded, bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken and bake for another 10 minutes. Pull the chicken out of the oven and spread 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce over each breast, topping the sauce with one slice of mozzarella cheese.

Return the chicken to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

I had never tasted squash until last Christmas when my sister made butternut squash raviolis with a brown butter sage sauce. I had no idea it was so tasty. As a side note now I am utterly hooked on squash ravioli.

It was my new interest in squash that made me particularly interested in this infographic from The Vegan Stoner. I altered it a bit considering I am not vegan and I love cheese, but it is a very similar premise. If you have any favorite pairing of spices with squash, it would be easy (and delicious) to throw in some of those as well.


Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
(recipe inspired by The Vegan Stoner)
serves two


4 oz whole grain pasta
1 package of frozen squash puree, thawed in the microwave
1/4 cup grated Parmesan 
1 tablespoon half and half
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
salt and pepper


Cook pasta according to package direction. Drain and return to pot.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter or margarine (I like margarine for this because it's less likely to burn and I prefer the flavor). Keep it over medium heat as it bubbles and turn of the heat once it browns.

In a large bowl, stir together the squash puree, Parmesan, half and half, and the browned butter, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked pasta and serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Chocolate Marshmallow Martini

Craving something chocolatey? Something sweet? Then I've got just the right drink for you.

This thing tastes like candy, and even though it has a relatively high alcohol content, the marshmallow flavored vodka covers up the sting of hard alcohol. Overall, the taste reminds me of those chocolate covered marshmallow eggs you get for Easter. 


Chocolate Marshmallow Martini


1.5 ounces marshmallow flavored vodka
1.5 ounces chocolate liqueur
a splash of half and half (or milk to be on the lighter side)


Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a martini glass. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and miniature marshmallows for garnish (optional).

Chicken Pesto Provolone Panini

I don't think I could ever get sick of a nice hot sandwich.


Chicken Pesto Provolone Panini
Serves two


4 slices of good, thick bread
2 slices provolone cheese
Chicken deli meat
Pesto
Butter


Heat your sandwich press according to appliance instructions.*

Butter one side of each slice of bread. On the other sides, spread a generous amount of pesto.

Layer the chicken slices even across each sandwich and top with a slice of Provolone. Close the sandwich, pesto sides in, butter sides out, and cook in the panini press until to top is golden the inside of the sandwich is warmed.

*If you don't have a panini press, you could easily warm this sandwich up on a non-stick skillet in the same way one would make a grilled cheese: cook on one side for 1-2 minutes and flip. Cook another 1-2 minutes and serve.

Alton Brown's Oven Roasted Broccoli

I've never been the biggest fan of vegetables, nor a great advocate for any veggie side dish, but let me tell you, this stuff is great. Not that it should come as any surprise, after all, Alton Brown is a food genius. 

But seriously, if you are going to master one veggie, let it be this. It's so ridiculously easy to pull together, it's hard to believe it tastes so good. I've even made it for parties. And I'm not talking fancy pot luck dinner parties but rather the drunken crazy parties you usually don't remember. Except everyone remembered the broccoli. (Plus it passed the Can Make When Drunk Test which is pretty handy.)

Overall, I highly suggest this recipe to veggie lovers and non-veggie lovers alike. 


Alton Brown's Oven Roasted Broccoli
(Recipe from Good Eats)


1 pound broccoli, rinsed and cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together the broccoli, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Spread the Panko out onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 2 minutes or until the crumbs turns golden brown. Remove from the oven and stir into the broccoli mixture until combined.

Pour all the broccoli mixture out onto the cookie sheet and spread evenly. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Once cooked, return back to the bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Pizza Dip For Two

Yet another dip. I really wasn't kidding when I said I was addicted.

This dip, in my mind, is the slightly lazier version of the White Pizza Dip for Two I made a couple of months back. It takes just a few minutes to whip up and it includes some marinara sauce, something my leading man can never get enough of. 

The nice thing about it is you can top it with any of your favorite pizza toppings. I kept mine simple but some pepperoni laid out on top would have been nice too.


Pizza Dip For Two
(recipe adapted from Closet Cooking)


2 oz (1/4 a block) of cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, seperated
2 tablespoons sour cream
A pinch of both basil and oregano
1/3 cup marinara sauce


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, the sour cream and the herbs. Spread the mixture evenly across the bottom of a 14 oz ramekin.

Pour the marinara sauce over the cream cheese mixture and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon. 

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese over the top and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. For extra brown-ness, pop it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until desired brown-ness is achieved.

Brown Sugar Bacon Chicken

I'm pretty sure bacon is the food of the gods. 'Wrapped in bacon' brings everything to a whole new level and add 'rolled in brown sugar' to the mix and I'm pretty sure I just had a food orgasm.

My leading man really loved this dish. It has just a hint of sweet and spicy, and of course the delicious smokey flavor of bacon. And according to my calculations, it clocks in under 300 calories, even though it is coated in brown sugar.


Brown Sugar Bacon Chicken
(recipe from Diary of a Recipe Addict)
Serves two


2 skinless chicken breasts
4 slices of bacon (Thick Cut Applewood Smoked is our absolute favorite)
salt, pepper and chili powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar, divided


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

If using thick cut bacon, fry up the four slices in a non-stick pan until just beginning to brown. (If using thin sliced bacon, you can skip this step.) Remove from the pan onto a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breast with salt, pepper, and a dash of chili powder. Wrap each breast with two slices of bacon and lay onto the prepared baking dish. Measure out 1 tablespoon of brown sugar onto each wrapped breast and rub the sugar into the bacon.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Individual Ravioli Lasagnas

Lasagna was the first real meal I ever learned to cook. Lasagna is, after all, the ultimate throw together meal. With no bake noodles, it gets even easier. And for how simple it is to make, it still makes an impression.

The problem with lasagna is that it feeds a flipping army. Even when company is over, there is always, always leftovers. Most the time, there's so much leftover that the only way to finish it all is to eat it every day for a week and where's the fun in that? 

That's where these individual ravioli lasagnas come in. The raviolis make them super diverse and even easier to toss together because you don't have to figure out how to fit huge rectangular noodles into a 14 oz ramekin.


This is the recipe for one individual ravioli lasagna but the portions are easy to scale up for as many as you need.


Individual Ravioli Lasagnas
Recipe makes one serving


6-8 refrigerated or frozen ravioli (Meat works best)
3/4 cup marinara sauce, divided
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
1/4 cup spinach, fresh or frozen


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 14 oz ramekin with non-stick spray.

In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, and the spinach. Set aside.

Spread 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce across the bottom of the ramekin. Arrange half the raviolis on top of the sauce and spoon half the ricotta mixture on top of that. 

Pour another 1/4 cup of sauce on top of the ricotta and layer the remaining raviolis evenly across. Spoon the remaining ricotta mixture on top of the raviolis, pour on the last 1/4 cup marinara, and sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella on the very top.

Cover the ramekin with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. (If you are cooking more than two, increase the cooking time to 40 minutes)

After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Spinach Artichoke Dip Pasta

It's been a while since I've had a chance to post. I've been so busy with a freelance visual effects gig for a short film that my apartment and my diet were completely upended. But now I've got some time back on my hands and that means there's time to cook!

I'm pretty sure spinach artichoke dip is my ideal format for eating vegetables. It might have something to do with the creamy sauce. After all, cream makes everything taste amazing.

But spinach artichoke dip isn't a proper meal, at least not according to my leading man, (I strongly disagree) so why not take the basic premise of my Spinach Artichoke Dip for Two and stir it into some pasta? It made a delicious meal and best of all, it was under 400 calories. I have a hard time complaining about that.


Spinach Artichoke Dip Pasta
Serves two


4 oz whole grain pasta (I used medium shells)
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup spinach, fresh or frozen
2 artichoke hearts from a can, finely diced
2 sun dried tomatoes, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
two tablespoons grated Parmesan


Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

In a small saucepan, heat the half and half, milk and butter over medium-low heat until the butter is melted and the milk just begins to steam.

Toss in the spinach, artichokes, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper and heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in the Parmesan until completely melted and pour the sauce over the drained noodles. Stir to coat evenly.

Garnish with more grated Parmesan and serve.