Tag: Rotel

Seafood Gumbo

Seafood Gumbo

The cold weather in Georgia lately has me craving big bowls of soup, chili, and chowder. One of my favorite meals is seafood gumbo. My mother made a killer gumbo, and what I wouldn’t give for a big bowl at her house.

This gumbo contains succulent shrimp, oysters, crab, and crawfish. Fortunately, I had plenty in my freezer to make a big pot. Serve gumbo over steamed rice with plenty of garlic bread. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop for best results. Use the bits of goodness and add to a quesadilla or nachos the next day. Pick out the seafood and vegetables only, avoiding any extra soupy mixture. You will appreciate having leftovers when you bite into these wonderfully delicious treats!

This gumbo has a slight kick. If you are sensitive to heat, you can adjust the seasonings to your taste. I like my gumbo slightly thick and usually have extra filé on hand, just in case I need it. It is best to add the seafood about 20 minutes before serving to avoid overcooking.

Seafood Gumbo
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Seafood Gumbo

Course Main Course
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 cup chopped green onions, divided
  • 1 1/2 gallons water
  • 1/2 pound fresh or frozen okra
  • 1 (10-ounce can) Rotel
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning
  • Louisiana hot sauce to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic
  • 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons dried thyme
  • 2 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp (70 to 90 ct.)
  • 1 pound crab meat
  • 1 pint fresh oysters
  • 2 to 3 ounces Pure Ground Gumbo File

Instructions

  • Make a roux in a large heavy pot over medium heat: Add oil to pot and heat over medium heat, add flour, it will sizzle when it's at the correct temperature. Use a whisk and stir constantly. Stir until it reaches the color of peanut butter. DO NOT BURN!!
  • Add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and 1/2 c. green onions. Cook until ingredients are cooked down.
  • Add water, okra, Rotel, and seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer at least 1 hour. Add seafood and continue to cook on medium for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Taste for seasoning. Add file to thicken.
  • Stir in remaining green onions and simmer a few more minutes. Serve over rice in bowls.

Lightened-Up Cowboy Beans

Lightened-Up Cowboy Beans

 

Cowboy Beans is a recipe that I posted back in September of 2015.  They have been a favorite of Not Just Sunday Dinner readers for a while now, and one of my all-time favorites.  As mentioned then, I was raised on beans and cornbread.  Not one of my favorite meals when I was growing up.  In fact, there were a few meals I dreaded and beans and cornbread was one of them.  Funny how things you hated as a kid can turn out to be one of your favorite things.

I have changed up the recipe, ever so slightly, to lighten it up just a bit.  It’s still every bit as delicious as before.  This recipe makes a big pot of beans!  As noted on the recipe, I did not measure the finished product to see exactly how many cups where in the pot.  When I sat down to figure the points I just guessed at 10 servings, there may actually be more servings than 10, which could lower the points value even more.  However, using 10 servings as my guide this recipe has 3 Weight Watchers Smart Points per serving.

Lightened-Up Cowboy Beans
 
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Ingredients
  • 6 pieces Canadian bacon
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 lg. onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced (or jalapeno)
  • ½ lb. Mexican chorizo sausage
  • 5 (15.5-oz.) cans pinto beans, drained, rinsed, and drained again
  • 1 (10-oz.) can Rotel
  • 1 (12-oz.) bottle of light amber beer
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1½ tsp. dry oregano
  • Chicken broth, as needed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to grill to 325°F.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon until done. Remove from pan to a paper-towel lined dish and set aside. When cool to the touch, dice the bacon.
  3. Remove the chorizo from it's casing. Add to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned through. Remove the sausage to another paper-towel lined dish and set aside.
  4. Add the garlic, onion, and serrano chiles (or jalapeños) to the Dutch oven. Cook for a few minutes, or until the onions start to soften but watch closely so that you do not burn the garlic.
  5. Add the bacon, sausage, pinto beans, tomatoes, beer, cumin, and oregano; stir to combine. If the mixture seems a little dry, add chicken broth 1 cup at a time.
  6. Cover and place the Dutch oven on the grill or in the oven. Bake the beans for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. These beans are traditionally soupy, but if they seem too soupy, remove the lid during the last 15 minutes of cooking. If the seem dry, stir in a little chicken broth. Stir in the cilantro during the last 15 minutes of cooking and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
This make a big pot of beans. I did not measure the cooked pot of beans to see how many cups it makes. However, when I figured the points I used 10 servings. Each serving = 3 Weight Watchers Smart Points.

 

Amye’s Smoky Cheese Dip

smoky-cheese-dip-123

If you visit Not Just Sunday Dinner often you know that my new obsession is chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  I believe I could add chipotle peppers to just about anything and love it!

Cheese dip is one of the first things I made as a young cook.  Everyone loves cheese dip.  Over the years I have used a total of three different recipes.  My first recipe was pretty simple, some Velveeta, some sharp cheese, a can or Rotel, ground beef and sausage.  A few years back I switched up my recipe to the Queso dip that you’ll find here on NJSD.  I still love that dip but there can be picky eaters that don’t like the spinach.  They drive me crazy, but they do exist!  Not that the Queso dip needed any improvement,  it is perfect just they way it is (to me).  However, I was really craving the smoky flavor of chipotle in a cheese dip, so I started experimenting.

What I have come up with is a huge hit at our house!  The number of chipotle peppers is totally up to your taste.  If I were not feeding others I might possibly add more than this recipe suggest.

Amye's Smoky Cheese Dip
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 lb. sausage
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 lb. Velveeta, cubed
  • 1 lb. Pepper Jack cheese, cubed
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 c. milk
  • 1 can Rotel, undrained
  • 2 - 3 chipotle peppers (or to taste) in adobo sauce, seeds removed and chopped fine
  • ½ tbsp - 1 tbsp. adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers, or to taste
Instructions
  1. Brown ground beef and sausage in a skillet. Drain and pour the beef and sausage into a slow-cooker.
  2. In the skillet, add oil and saute onion until soft. Add garlic during the last minute of cooking. Add to the slow-cooker. Add the Velveeta, Pepper Jack cheese, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, milk, Rotel, and chipotle peppers. Stir to combine.
  3. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until melted.
  4. Serve with corn chips.