Cajun Lentil Stir-Fry

I made this earlier today but I messed it up. I thought one cup of uncooked rice equaled two cups of cooked, but found out that it's closer to 1:3. 

So I was over-riced, but...liked it plenty anyway. I ended up sprinkling more of the Cajun spice blend at the end, giving it an extra toss, and being generous with the lemon juice. No problem. Laissez les bons temps rouler!! 

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large red pepper, thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped small
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning
1 can of lentils (540 ml), drained. 
2 cups of cooked brown rice
1 zucchini, diced
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons of lemon juice


- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat

- Add the red peppers, onion, garlic, and Cajun seasoning and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

- Add the lentils and cook for 2 minutes

- Add the cooked brown rice, zucchini, and parsley and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  

- Add the lemon juice and serve! 

Irish Nachos

The list of ingredients is short, because several are up to you! 

The nacho toppings will tend to be whatever I still have around. Most people have an idea of what goes on nachos and measurements can vary by taste. This is being stored mostly for the potato "chip" preparation method.

For toppings, I always make sure to have at least tomato, pepper, and onion, but like to have zucchini and fresh jalapeno available as well, all chopped small.  About a quarter cup of each, though probably half that for the jalapeno. 

1.5 pounds russet potatoes (cleaned, and sliced 1/4 inch thick)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Half a teaspoon of dried rosemary (crushed)

Half a teaspoon of dried thyme leaves (crushed)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 minced green onions

Sea salt and black pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash and dry potatoes, leaving skin on.

Slice potatoes into .25-inch rounds and place in a large bowl.

Drizzle olive oil, rosemary, and thyme over potatoes. Stir to combine.

Place potatoes, in a single layer, on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, turn over, and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes.

During the second 20 minute phase, start preparing the topping. Add oil to a frying pan and cook on medium heat.

Back to the potatoes. When the 20 or so minutes of baking are up, take them out of the over and combine them in a pile in the middle of the pan.

Add cheese and the vegetables to the potatoes and put them back in the oven for 3-5 minutes, long enough for the cheese to melt.

Serve with sour cream, Greek yogurt, or salsa.

Black Bean/Corn/Cheese Salad

This may be similar to one posted before. I would have sworn I'd added it before, but if I did, I can't find it now. 

2 tbsp of lime juice

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of liquid honey

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp of chili powder

1 can of black beans (540 ml) drained and rinsed

1 cup of frozen corn

Half a cup of diced red onion

Half a cup of cube Monterey Jack cheese

Once again, the recipe calls for cilantro. Once again, the recipe can go straight to hell with that. But for the record, it would be 2 tablespoons worth. 

Procedure is easy enough: whisk the lime juice, oil, honey, garlic, and chili powder in a bowl, then stir n the rest. 

Hoppin' Jean

This is typically called Hoppin' John, however since this is a non-traditional version that I plan to add my own touches to, I've decided to adapt its name to my own. 😊

I've made the traditional kind before and found it...kind of dull, frankly, so I was pleased to find a few recipes that recommended ways to give it more flavour. 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

2 stalks celery

3 medium carrots peeled and diced (about 10 ounces)

3 large cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 small bunch kale trimmed and chopped (about 8 ounces)

1 can (15-ounces) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 can (14-ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1/2 cup of brown rice per person. 

Green onion, chopped, for garnish

I chose to make sure that the mixture was pretty well looked after before working on the rice, but you could probably start boiling your water when you start doing the kale work.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add celery and carrots and cook for bout five minutes to given them a head start on softening up.

Add the peppers and garlic, stirring occasionally, for about another 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and cayenne. Make sure everything is all blended in nicely.

Working in small handfuls, stir in the kale, stirring after each addition to let it wilt slightly before adding another handful. Cook and stir until you can fit all of the kale in the pot.

Add the black-eyed peas and tomatoes with their juices.

While the peas and tomatoes heat up, prepare the rice as instructed on the package directions. 

I served the rice and sauce side by side rather than using the rice as a bed. Worked well enough.

Non-American black-eyed peas can be difficult to track down in Canada, but Bioitalia's version can be had in certain stores.  
  

Pretty happy with the first attempt. I was a little gun shy with the spices, concerned about potentially making it too hot. There was some kick after the first couple of bites but then it seemed to settle.

Chickpea Salad w/ Lemon Yogurt Dressing

This has not been tried. I came across a Canadian Living magazine from 2012 at the cottage, left behind by the previous owner. It boasts "45+ Simply Delicious Recipes", including this one.  We will find out before long!

1/4 cup Balkan-style plain yogurt

2 tbsp of lemon juice

A pinch of salt, a pinch pepper

1 can (540 ml) of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup diced celery

3 tbsp of diced red onion

In a bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, celery, and onion until combined.  

The recipe also called for chopped fresh mint (3 tbsp) and chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (2 tbsp) to be added in during the second step. I will likely try without those two first, then add them in subsequent attempts. 

Next, we'll find out if any of the remaining 44 are simply delicious. 

Creamy Cajun Soup! A Cappy Original!

Love my Cajun meals, so am building a little soup recipe using the common, and maybe not-so-common, ingredients. Wrote this down as I was making it today, for the 3rrd or 4th time. Whip this up one afternoon and laissez les bons temps roulez! 🥳

2 tablespoons of olive oil.

6 cups of "chicken" broth

2 garlic cloves, minced. 

1 medium onion, diced. 

1 small zucchini, diced.

1 green bell pepper, diced.

4 cups of collard greens and/or kale and/or Swiss chard 

2 cups of frozen corn.

1/2 cup of quinoa.

1 can (540 ml) of black beans.

1 can of coconut milk. 

A few shakes of Cajun spice blend.


Heat the oil in a large pot/Dutch oven.

Toss in the garlic, onion, zucchini, and pepper. Stir until the onion becomes translucent and the peppers and zucchini soften.

Toss in whatever greens you settled on and toss the whole deal around for a few minutes until the greens reduce.

Pour in the chicken stock, then bring the mixture to a boil. 

Once boiling, add the quinoa and frozen corn. Stir regularly while the quinoa and corn cook. 

Reduce heat to low-medium, and add the black beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle in some of the Cajun spice.

Time for the coconut milk to thicken that sumbitch! Pour in the can and stir to blend thoroughly. Give another dash or two of Cajun spice.  

Full disclosure: The quinoa was Mrs. Cappy's idea. 

Zucchini Pasta

Like the carrot-based sauce, this is another good recipe to help get rid of extra stock and reclaim some fridge drawer space. 

1 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp of butter, separated

8 ounces of as-yet uncooked pasta (first attempt was with fettucine)

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning

1 cup of "chicken" broth

1 tsp of lemon juice

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese 

Pepper, to taste


Cook pasta as per package instructions.

Add the olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. 

Add the zucchini, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining butter, the chicken broth, and lemon juice to the pan. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Stir in the parmesan cheese and toss with the drained pasta. Add pepper, then fill your boots. 

I don't think I would bother trying this with anything other than fettucine going forward. 

There were doubts about balance among ingredients, but it ended up working out. The original recipe called for half a cup of stock, but that was tough to manage when making my own, so I went with a full cup and I don't think that spoiled anything.

Considered adding tomato for a little colour. In hindsight, I might have regretted that. Maybe some red pepper flakes to meet that goal, and add a little heat.