With the holidays fast approaching, I have been looking for something unique to serve. I get tired of the same old stuff - meatballs, chips and dips, blah, blah, blah. So I scrounge around to find something interesting, and am never let down by Janice Duplantis of Bedrock Press.

If you love all things cooking, and especially Cajun cooking as I do, then you need to check her out. At the bottom of the post is her resource box. I highly recommend subscribing to all her ezines. You won’t be flooded with all kinds of offers and garbage, just great recipes and tips on cooking when she publishes. I truly enjoy Janice’s work.

Enjoy the recipe. No, I haven’t made it yet, but will be putting on the old chef’s cap this weekend and whipping up this excellent salad.

Enjoy…

Macque Choux Rita

Ingredients for Vinaigrette:
1-1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. fresh cilantro leaves
1 avocado, peeled and diced

Ingredients for Salad:
2 dozen (16-20 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. tequila
2 T. Triple Sec
1 T. chopped thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
1 T. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
Salt and ground cayenne pepper to taste
1 lg. red bell pepper
1 lg. yellow bell pepper
1 c. whole kernel corn
1 c. diced fresh tomato
1/2 c. diced zucchini
1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed
1/2 c. diced Bermuda onions
1 T. minced jalapenos
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
2 T. olive oil for sauteing
Lime slices for garnish

To prepare vinaigrette: Combine olive oil, vinegar, lime
juice and cilantro in a food processor; pulse for 1 minute.
Add avocado and pulse again for 30-second intervals until
blended. (Do not over-blend.) Transfer vinaigrette to a
covered container and chill.

To prepare salad: Combine shrimp, lime juice, lemon juice,
tequila, Triple Sec, thyme and basil in a large mixing bowl.
Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Toss and allow shrimp
to marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. While
shrimp are marinating, roast red and yellow bell peppers
under the broiler of an oven, turning frequently. Broil on
all sides until the skins blister and blacken. Remove from
oven and place in a brown paper bag to steam for 10 to 15
minutes. Peel blistered skin from pepper under cold running
water. Seed and dice peppers. In a large bowl, toss peppers,
corn, tomatoes, zucchini, black beans, onions, jalapenos and
cilantro; set aside. Remove shrimp from marinade; discard
marinade. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high
heat in a heavy-bottomed saute pan. Saute shrimp for 2 to 3
minutes or until pink and curled; remove from pan. Toss
shrimp and roasted pepper salad with 1/2 cup of the avocado
vinaigrette. To serve, garnish the rim of a large margarita
glass by dipping it in lime juice then minced cilantro. Fill
glass with salad. Garnish with a lime slice. Serve with
tortilla chips. Yields 6 servings.

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About the Author: Janice Faulk Duplantis, author and publisher, currently maintains a web site that focuses on Easy Gourmet and French/Cajun Cuisine. (Visit Bedrock Press today. Janice also publishes 2 monthly complementary ezines: “Gourmet Bytes” and “Lagniappe Recipe”, both great ezines that chefs in the know subscribe to.
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Peace,

Charlie~

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For my entire life, one of my most favorite vegetables has been butternut squash. Generally, I bake it in the oven, and serve right in the shell, with a little brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon for taste. You can cook it okay in the microwave, but it just ain’t the same!

Here in Mid-Michigan, the butternut squash in season, and I picked up a four pound beauty at the Farmer’s Market on the courthouse square the other day. I also got some fresh green beans, and I am gonna have me a great batch of veggies on the stove and in the oven this week…

Janice Duplantis has some of the best recipes i have run across on the web. I came to know Janice while researching Cajun cooking, and am glad I did. she has some of the most delicious recipes I have ever found, and the Cajun twist is what I like. Visit Janice at Bedrock Press.

Here is her recipe for baked butternut squash.

Honey Butternut Squash

1-1/2 lb. butternut squash
2 c. water
1/4 c. butter or margarine
2 T. chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/8 tsp. dried thyme leaves
11/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black ground pepper
1 T. honey

Peel squash, remove seeds and cut into 1-1/2-inch chunks.
Bring water to a full boil in a 3-quart saucepan over high
heat. Add squash and cover. Lower heat to medium and cook
until squash is fork tender (12 to 15 minutes). Drain and
mash squash; set aside. Melt butter in the same saucepan.
Stir in mashed squash, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and
honey. Cover and cook over medium heat (stirring
occasionally) until heated through (5 to 7 minutes).
Yields 4 servings.

About the Author: Janice Faulk Duplantis, author and publisher, currently maintains a web site that focuses on Easy Gourmet and French/Cajun Cuisine. (Visit Bedrock Press today. Janice also publishes 2 monthly complementary ezines: “Gourmet Bytes” and “Lagniappe Recipe”, both great ezines that chefs in the know subscribe to.

Enjoy…

Peace,

Charlie~

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