Yats Chili Cheese Etouffee

For this month's copy cat meal I made Yats Chili Cheese Etouffee, which I love to eat and say :) I am including the recipe below. The next time I make it, I will change a few things: I think i will saute the chopped veggies in a different pan and then add them to the roux, or maybe just cook it longer? They didn't soften up how I wanted. Also, I didn't put any onions in, to appease Mr. Gourmet Diva. :-) I thought it was pretty tasty and hope others do to!

1 stick butter
½ c. flour
1 c. chopped green onions
1 c. diced celery
1 c. diced bell peppers
1 c. diced onions
2 t. minced garlic
1 c. Rotel Original diced tomatoes
½ t. dried thyme
1 T. tomato paste
1 t. dried basil
¼ t. black pepper
¼ t. white pepper
¼ t. cayenne pepper
3 c. chicken stock
3 c. shredded aged cheddar
8 oz. half and half or heavy cream
1 t. chili powder
pinch ground coriander
pinch ground cumin
pinch ground cloves
dash Leas and Perrins Worcestershire sauce
Dash Tabasco sauce
1 lb cooked crawfish, shrimp and/or chicken
Cooked white rice

Make a roux by heating the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat then blending in the flour, sonsistently stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the roux is golden color

Add the green onions, celery, bell peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes and cook until the onions have browned

Add the thyme, tomato paste, basil and peppers (black, white, and cayenne)

Add the stock, bring to a boil and simmer until the mixture becomes thick

Add the cheese, half and half, chili powder, coriander, cumin, cloves, Lea and Perrins and Tabasco and stir until the cheese and half and half are blended in well

Gently stir in the crawfish, shrimp and/or chicken and serve with white rice. Garnish with chopped green onions and drizzle with some dry sherry.

Serves 6-8

Peppered Shrimp Alfredo

This may not seem like a "Summer Lovin" dish  to some, but I love seafood pasta dishes in the summer. I especially love them when paired with a nice cool glass of white wine. But, since I am now carrying the next baby diva (coming to a kitchen near you this December) I will have to make due with no wine pairings this summer.  Luckily, this dish is great on it's own!

Peppered Shrimp Alfredo
Ingredients


12 ounces penne pasta

1/4 cup butter2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced2 cloves garlic, minced1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, diced

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

1/2 cup cream

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped parsley


Directions


1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2.Meanwhile, melt butter together with the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, red pepper, and mushroom; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes more.

3.Stir in the shrimp, and cook until firm and pink, then pour in Alfredo sauce, Romano cheese, and cream; bring to a simmer stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir drained pasta into the sauce, and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

(I originally found this recipe on All Recipes...if you haven't checked out this site, you should!)

Spicy Buffalo Shrimp Wraps

The divas typically make meals to freeze. I thought I'd share a recipe in "Freezer Ready" format. This is the type of recipe we put at each of our stations each month so the divas know how to package their meals.



Bag 1:
1 Cup of Panko Bread Crumbs

Bag 2:
1 “tub” of egg beaters and 1 tablespoon of milk

Bag 3:
½ cup flour

Bag 4:
Shrimp (frozen raw, uncooked shrimp)

Bag 5:
5 flour tortillas

Bag 6:
1/3 cup of either ranch or blue cheese (you may not want to freeze this one)

Bag 7:
½ Jar of wing sauce

To make at home:
1. Thaw in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
2. Drain liquid from shrimp bag and remove shells and tails!
3. Batter shrimp in this order:
a. Toss shrimp in flour and coat well.
b. Dip shrimp into milk and egg mixture
c. Coat shrimp in panko crumbs
4. Once all your shrimp have been battered, heat ½ inch of cooking oil to med-high heat in a large stovetop skillet.
5. Carefully place shrimp into the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, turn each shrimp over and continue to cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until done. then remove from pan.
6. Toss shrimp in buffalo wing sauce and wrap in tortillas with blue cheese or ranch. (I also like to add shredded cheddar cheese!)

Dijon-Crusted Tilapia (from Dessert Diva)

This is a recipe I have been making for a long time. It is definitely a favorite at our house, and I'm not even a huge fan of seafood. Try it with tilapia, cod or any white fish. The best part about this dish is that not only is it delicious, but it's healthy too!


*Photo courtesy of Taste of Home

Ingredients

3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon horseradish
4 tilapia fillets (5 ounces each)
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon cheese, lemon juice, mustard and horseradish. Place fillets on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over fillets.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, butter and remaining cheese; sprinkle over fillets.
Bake at 425° for 13-18 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Ginger-Glazed Mahi Mahi (from Dessert Diva)

This is the recipe I made for our very first Supper Club. It got rave reviews, and I've made it several times since. The best part is, with the exception of the fish, the ingredients are all ones that you probably already have on hand. Hopefully, you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients
4 Mahi Mahi fillets
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions
In a bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. Season the fish with the salt and pepper. Add fish and marinade to a plastic bag; marinate for several hours (or this is the point where you would freeze it). Grill fillets over medium heat for 4-6 minutes per side, turning once. Reserve the marinade; pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for an additional 2 minutes, until it reaches a glaze consistency. Spoon over fish and serve immediately.