Crawfish Etouffee

This is an easy way to make etouffee without having to mess with a roux.

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
4 tbsp. butter
1 can Rotel
2 cans cream of shrimp soup
1 lb frozen crawfish tails, thawed
Salt, pepper and Chachere's Seasoning
2-3 cups cooked rice

Directions
Saute onion, pepper and celery in butter until tender. Season with salt, pepper and Chachere's seasoning to taste. Add canned ingredients and crawfish tails and bring to a simmer. Add more Chachere's if not spicy enough for your taste. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Carnitas

This is a super easy recipe that is one of our favorites. The combination of the pork and the lime juice is amazing, but you can make your tacos however you like!

Ingredients
1 Pork Roast (1-2 lbs)
Salt, Pepper and Chachere's Seasoning to taste
1 Onion, quartered
Corn or flour tortillas
Cilantro, sour cream, avocado, shredded cheese, lime wedges and salsa of your choice for taco toppings.

Directions
After seasoning the pork, add roast and onion to slow cooker. Set cooker on low for 8hours and go to work. Come home from work and warm your tortillas, prepare all of your desired taco toppings and enjoy!

Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops

This is a great way to prepare pork chops and keep them moist (without frying them). I like to serve them over egg noodles, but they are good over rice too.

Ingredients
4 (3/4-inch-thick) center-cut pork chops or 2 thick cut butterfly chops
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Directions
Pat pork dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pork along with onion, turning pork over once and stirring onions occasionally, until pork is browned and onions are golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes total. Transfer pork to a plate and add vinegar, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and broth to onions in skillet. Cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved and liquid is thickened slightly, about 1 minute.

Reduce heat to moderate, then return pork along with any juices accumulated on plate to skillet and turn 2 or 3 times to coat with sauce. Cook, turning over once, until pork is just cooked through, about 3 minutes total.

Taco Soup

There are several variations of this recipe floating around the internet. This is my version, because I usually have these ingredients on hand.

Ingredients
1 lb lean hamburger meat
1 onion, chopped
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 package taco seasoning
1 can Rotel tomoatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 can Ranch Style Beans
1 2.25 oz can sliced black olives
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

Directions
Cook hamburger meat and diced onion in dutch oven/soup pot until meat is done. Add the taco seasoning and ranch mix followed by the canned ingredients. Bring to boil and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Chicken Chilaquiles

This is such a tasty recipe and is easy to prepare. Store-bought rotisserie chicken can be substituted for the chicken breasts. I prepare my own tortilla chips by baking corn tortilla strips at 425 for a few minutes until crisp, but your favorite tortilla chips would work as well.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes in puree
2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo, finely chopped,
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from same can)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large chicken breasts, boiled and shredded (or 3 cups cooked chicken)
4 cups (about 3 ounces) tortilla chips
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1.75 ounces queso fresca, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)
cilantro for garnish
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Directions
Saute onion in olive oil until tender. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add tomatoes and their puree and break the tomatoes up in the pan. Add chopped chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. WARNING: these are very spicy, so you may want to add the sauce until you get the heat you desire. Add sugar and bring to a simmer.

Layer tortilla strips, chicken mixture, cheese, sour cream and cilantro in bowl to serve.