Cajun

Not sure what the allure is.... whether it's because it's the setting for one of the vampire stories I read, or the thought of blackening items and still being able to eat them and say "that's exactly how it's supposed to look".  Maybe it's just the feeling that down home cooking gives you on a cold day?  Whatever the reason I find Cajun food fabulously interesting.  My husband recently travelled to Louisiana and although I could not go with him he made sure that packed away in his suitcase were a few key ingredients to help me create some masterpieces!  Fist up: Fish Fry.

Dinner with friends was served up Cajun style with a good old fashioned fish fry.  I took my package of Louisiana fish fry and some fresh snapper and made a gigantic mess of fried goodness in my kitchen.  Topped with your choice of "Cajun Seasoning" or "Slap Ya Mamma" spice dinner was a hit in the making.  To accompany, and also regulate our intake of fat...I served a spinach salad topped with almond slices, pumpkin seeds, fresh tomatoes and a little buffalo mozzarella.  Last but not least, what would be the point of serving a fried fish without some sort of a chip, Smashed Potatoes!  A take away from watching Michael Smith's Chef at Home it's tasty and a work out all at once.  Cooking these potatoes at high heat always sets off my smoke detectors and my family and I frantically wave blankets and cloths to try and stop the beeping.  It's my way of working off a few calories before I eat them.  Great times were had by all and leftovers were transformed into Cajun fish burgers the following night!  Two birds killed with one stone.