With the crisp snap of the first bite of grilled sourdough, I can taste the dual combination of smooth goat cheese, and creamy garlic aioli as the intense juice of the heirloom tomato flows over my tongue. My taste receptors are in overdrive as the flavors meld together into my Heirloom Tomato Sandwich on Sourdough with Garlic…
Salmon and Shrimp Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette
Today’s fresh Salmon and Shrimp Salad featuring poached salmon and sautéed shrimp dressed lightly with a tart grapefruit vinaigrette is perfectly timed for summer. Like many culinary-focused Southern Louisianans, I enjoy delicious ingredients even if they are not locally sourced. Salmon is one of those. But in Southern California, having access to the best of…
Blood Orange Salad
Blood orange. I just like the sound of it. A citrus so ripe, rich and juicy it bleeds flavor. It drips intense, acidic plasma that drains the life out of the fruit. Ok, so I’m dramatizing a bit. But, just a bit. These are orgasmic oranges with a bright and biting taste that begs for…
Blackened Brussels & Kale Salad
Ever since renowned Cajun Chef Paul Prudhomme blackened his first redfish in the 1980s, you would think that all South Louisiana folks burn just about everything they cook. Not so. But just go to any wanna-be Cajun restaurant outside of Louisiana and you’ll see a menu full of these overdone dishes. Enough already. Or well,…
How To Build a Charcuterie Board For Your Holiday Party
So, what do you do when you don’t know what to cook? Don’t cook. Yes, I said it: This is a post on my food blog that’s advocating not to cook. No recipe, no pots and pans, no hot stovetop, and no fuss. This Charcuterie Board will change the way you think about entertaining with…
Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad
Rox and I stay incredibly busy most all week long, and now and then we enjoy just kicking our feet up and relaxing with a bottle of wine and a no-fuss dinner. It is those kinds of evenings that I stumble upon dishes and recipes like this simple Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad that otherwise would…
Herbed Potato Salad
Fresh herbs from my garden shine in this creative take on a popular summertime side dish–my Herbed Potato Salad. And from my trial-and-error experience, marinating overnight is essential for deep flavors to penetrate the potatoes. Granted, I love a traditional Southern potato salad with its creamy mayonnaise base. Everyone has a favorite recipe that’s a…
Kale Salad with Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette
Beautifully bitter kale takes on a bright sweetness with an overnight marination in my flavor-infused vinaigrette. And when dressed with fruit, cheese, and nuts, this Kale Salad with Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette could be the perfect summertime salad. “Too tough, too bitter, overbearing,” these are the complaints I often hear about this sometimes maligned green. But…
Orzo, Shrimp and Kale Salad
More and more, I see orzo pasta showing up on the Acadiana table of folks who didn’t even know it existed a few years ago. Cajun and Creole home cooks are a stubborn bunch who hold to Cajun recipe tradition more so than most cultures. But in my Orzo, Shrimp and Kale Salad recipe, this ingredient…
Louisiana Seafood Salad with Creole Citrus Vinaigrette
It’s Memorial Day and time to dine on the water, and it doesn’t get any fresher than this: Gulf shrimp and lump crabmeat combine with a zesty Creole dressing in this light Louisiana Seafood Salad with fresh coastal flavors. And it’s easy with this simple recipe. With the summer vacation season here, most of Acadiana…