Cajun Pepper Steak

 

I don’t know about all of you good people out there but, I love bell peppers and could eat them about every day, raw or cooked.  And steak is delicious also so this dish is the perfect combo.

I decided to cook the Cajun pepper steak last night for dinner after hearing a neighbor mention it.  It’s a colorful, tasty medley of steak and green and red peppers, loaded with spices.  I favor spicy food, not the case so much with Bill.  So depending on your taste, adjust the spices accordingly; especially the Cajun seasoning. 

Round steak is a tougher cut of meat and takes a longer cooking time but, that is what I like about this recipe.  It has ample cooking time to bind the flavors.  Use sirloin steak for a more tender meat that gets this savory dish to the dinner table quickly.

Cajun pepper steak is the best, especially when served over a mound of rice!

Cajun Pepper Steak

Ingredients:

1½ pounds boneless round steak, fat removed, cut into strips or cubes

1-2 tablespoons canola oil

1 (14½ ounce) can beef broth

1 (14½ ounce) can Cajun-style tomatoes, undrained

½ cup onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried basil

1 to 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, depending on taste

1/8 teaspoon salt, optional

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Hot cooked rice

Method:

In large skillet, cook beef in oil over medium heat until browned.  Drain.

Stir in the broth, tomatoes, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat.

Cook and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add bell peppers.

Continue cooking for 15 minutes or until meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth.

Stir into meat mixture.

Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until thickened.

Serve over rice.

It’s a Cajun delight!  Uuummmm!!!

Be sure to enter the CSN Stores giveaway that I posted on October 8^th!

Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and giveaway!

Sautéed Shrimp over Creamy Grits

I first had this dish in Savannah, Georgia and this is as close to it as I can get. 

Even though it is a traditional Southern dish, it is extraordinary to this Midwestern girl.  How wonderful it would be to live along the Southern coastline ~ do some fishing, go home and cook up a little shrimp fresh from the water and serve it over creamy grits!

Shrimp and grits is an easy recipe.  Just have all the prep work done before you begin.  Then it will be a snap to cook up the dish.  And, you can even make the grits a little bit ahead of time as they will stay hot for a while.

This is one of the most satisfying grits dishes!  I could eat grits with just about anything ~ especially shrimp. 

Sautéed Shrimp over Creamy Grits

For the grits: 

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups water

1 ½ cups hot chicken or vegetable stock

¼ cup butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup stone-ground grits

Method:

In large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cream, water and hot stock, bring to a boil.

Add butter, salt and pepper.

Add grits slowly, stirring constantly, scrapping the bottom of the pan.

Reduce heat to medium-low.

Cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they do not scorch.

The grits should have absorbed all the liquid and be soft.

If they are too thick, add a little water or warm stock. 

For the shrimp:

Ingredients:

1 pound raw shrimp
6-8 bacon slices

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika

Hot sauce, optional

4 ounces amber beer

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Method:

Place shrimp on a plate and season with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning and paprika.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, fry bacon until nearly crisp.

When cooled, crumble into pieces.  Set aside.

Reserve 2-3 tablespoons bacon grease in the skillet.

Add onion, garlic and bell pepper, sautéing about 3-4 minutes.

Slowly add beer and Worcestershire sauce; cook down until onion is transparent and peppers are cooked about 10-12 minutes.

Add shrimp mixture and crumbled bacon.

Sauté 5-7 minutes until shrimp are opaque in center (cut to test).

Remove from heat.

Spoon hot grits onto serving plate; top with shrimp mixture.

Enjoy!