Shifting Gears

I have been absent from the blog for quite some time. Yes, shame on me. this was something I wanted to stick with and add to often. But life happened. Two babies in two years will make alot of plans pause. I was whipping together one of my recipes tonight and it made me think, why have I not been writing or posting? I always have something to say. My thoughts wandered. Should I shift gears? Should I be writing about all things mommy because that's 98% of where my thoughts are these days. I was worried I should just start a whole new blog completely to lay those thoughts down. But I like The Dainty Cajun. I pondered long and hard on it's naming and I want to keep going but perhaps switch gears and not focus just on food. So be on the lookout for new post soon. Revamping...after I nap. Hah. 

"You can make anything by writing"- C.S. Lewis 

-Des

Fudgecicle Treats

I was really uncertain what to call this little experiment. I think they taste like butter and the first thing that comes to mind is Paula Deen. At least she isn't using margarine right?

These turned out to be great little treats to steal out of the freezer for a bite if you're craving something sweet and don't want to binge on the sketchy assorted chocolate boxes they are currently peddling at the drugstores right now...

Fudgecicle Treats

3/4 cup of melted coconut oil 

1/2 cup (heaping) of Almond Butter

4 Tbsp sweetener of choice (I recommend Honey or Maple Syrup) 

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

10 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla 

Mix all this goodness in a bowl and pour into fancy chocolate molds. Oh wait! I didn't have any of those so I used some dollar store ice trays! Clear a space in your freezer and freeze them for a few hours. Once they are frozen pop out of fancy chocolate molds, or ice trays, and put in air tight container. Place your airtight container back in freezer for easy snacking access. Unfortunately these little guys melt easily so they aren't incredibly portable but they are a yummy treat to keep at home.

 

Here's to getting some sweet treats this Valentine's Day!

Sweet Potatoes for the Lazy

Sweet potatoes how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Mashed, baked, fries, puffs, tots, hash! 

I just want to give a shout out to Archer Farms for making my life so convenient. I do love sweet potatoes but can we just talk about for a second how difficult they are to cut? Dicing up a few rather chunky sweet potatoes is like a shoulder/forearm met-con. Target started selling them pre-diced and my breakfasts & sides just got a whole lot sweeter. Convenience in the morning when you are half asleep? Yes! 

This is one of my favorite ways to have them along side my eggs. Feels like eggs and hash browns! 

Normally I buy sweet potatoes, skin them and then get to "feelin' the burn" dicing those bad boys up, but in the morning? Ain't nobody got time for that...the easier the better.

Sure you can steam these in the bag, but they are WAY better this way. I promise. 

Put these cute little orange guys in a pan on medium heat with a few tablespoons of Ghee* and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Cook them so they are golden brown, slightly crunchy texture on the outside and soft little puffs of sweet potato goodness on the inside! Sprinkle on a little cinnamon too! Usually takes about 12 minutes total in my experience with a little stirring and flipping every few minutes. Enough to get your coffee going and your eggs sizzling along side for a great breakfast, brunch or whatever you fancy.

What is Ghee you ask? Ghee is this magically delicious clarified butter that most Paleo-ers and the dairy sensitive swear by cooking with. It has a much higher smoke point than butter but still has that lovely buttery taste with the lactose and casein cooked out.
I promise a Ghee post is coming soon. I make my own and use it for what feels like just about EVERYTHING! I am down to my last jar currently so will snap a few pictures of the process when I get some more going.

Noms!!! -Des

Let them have Salmon-Cakes!

I love me some crab cakes, but unfortunately they are usually full of breaded goodness and well we all know bread is the devil. Okay maybe it isn't but I haven't purchased a loaf of bread in my house in about 3 years to be honest, except for that gluten-free variety, which usually comes frozen and isn't all that exciting. Something about it makes me feel like I might as well purchase donuts. Shame on you bread for making me feel so guilty. 

I've always had mixed feelings about Salmon. Like why is it so expensive and why do you always have to prepare it with fancy things like capers and a dill Bearnaise sauce? Some people eat it smoked for breakfast with cream cheese. So Fancy. You certainly never see fried salmon nuggets along side the catfish bites on the menu around here. It just seems pretentiously pink. If you can get over all that, and I did, try this out.

While trying my best to eat paleo or "clean" as some people prefer to call it I experimented with this rather budget friendly and not to mention delicious salmon-cake recipe. I was inclined to test this out to kick my crab cake craving while not in crab season. Even if you aren't eating paleo or clean and would like to sandwich these in between two slices of Evangeline Maid Texas Toast without feeling guilty and gluten-y, I think you will like them.

My recipe uses the inexpensive wild caught salmon packets you can find at almost any grocery store in the same area that those tuna packets hang out. They are most definitely something easy to keep in your pantry for a quick protein fix that has a decent shelf life.

I am working hard on my "food photography skills" so please don't judge them by their rather crummy photos, they just want to be loved, and eaten! :) 

Salmon Cakes 

Ingredients: 

- 2 packets of Chicken of the Sea Premium Wild Caught Pink Salmon Skinless boneless No drain (each packet is 5oz.)

- 2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning 

-1 Tablespoon of Mustard (I prefer Spicy Brown)

-1/3 Cup of Almond Flour 

-1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice

-1 Egg 

-1/2 finely Chopped Bell Pepper-seeds removed (this is optional, I've made them without, still ok!)

-2 Tablespoons of Chopped Chives (fresh if you are fancy, freeze dried if you aren't)

-a few tablespoons of EVOO- Extra Virgin Olive Oil for cooking in

Pour those Salmon packets in a colander. I buy the "no drain" packets but I still "drain" and rinse that fish, weird south Louisiana habit I suppose?

Next mix your freshly bathed salmon up in a medium bowl with the egg and almond flour, I find a fork then moving onto a spatula is the way to go here. Next add your chopped pepper, chives , mustard, lemon juice and Old Bay Seasoning. 

If you are spicy gal like myself, give that cute little yellow and red Old Bay can a few more shakes to get it good and zesty. 

You should have something going that looks like this.

Next get out your favorite Cast Iron Skillet and heat up some EVOO on medium heat. 

In my experimenting this recipe tends to make 8-9 medium sized patties. Start divvying up the salmon into patties sized to your liking. Once the skillet has heated up put those beautiful cakes in to sizzle. It takes about 4-5 minutes on each side to get them good and golden brown.

I manage to squeeze all 9 cakes into my skillet but she's a rather large pan. Cook them in small batches if necessary. Once done cooking I transfer onto paper-toweled plate to cool and drain for a minute or two and then serve! I served mine with some homemade ranch drizzled on top but that recipe is a post for another day!

Happy Salmon-Caking!- Des

That Inaugural Post

If you check out the definition of this word I feel like it sums up a great deal about food. You most definitely are going to want it to be DAINTY; tasty, delicious, mouthwatering, delectable, scrumptious... I digress. 

Starting a blog is something I have been trying to do for some time and well just never sat down and got to it. Also there was the problem of what to call it. What to name it? Dainty's definition jumped out at me. Plus it's just a darn cute word, but the dainty blog? It sounded like I should be blogging about tiny houses, doilies or miniature ponies. When I threw in that word Cajun well I felt like the word lended itself to my favorite culture. Cajun. And thus, The Dainty Cajun was born. Cher! 

I love all things Cajun. The food, the culture, the football team. So now I had a name. No excuses now, one must blog. And blog I will...

For your entertainment, a dictionary snippet below!

dain·ty

ˈdān(t)ē/

adjective

adjective: dainty; comparative adjective: daintier; superlative adjective: daintiest

1. 1.

   delicately small and pretty.

   "a dainty lace handkerchief"

   • (of a person) delicate and graceful in build or movement.

     synonyms:

     delicate, fine, neat, elegant, exquisite "a dainty china cup"

     antonyms:

     unwieldy

   • (of food) particularly good to eat.

     "a dainty morsel"

     synonyms:

     tasty, delicious, choice, palatable, luscious, mouthwatering, delectable, toothsome; More appetizing, inviting, tempting; informalscrumptious, yummy, finger-licking, melt-in-your-mouth "a dainty morsel"

     antonyms:

     tasteless, unpalatable

2. 2.

   fastidious or difficult to please, typically concerning food.

   "a dainty appetite"

   synonyms:

   fastidious, fussy, finicky, particular, discriminating; More informalchoosy, persnickety, picky "a dainty eater"

   antonyms:

   undiscriminating

noun

noun: dainty; plural noun: dainties

1. 1.

   something good to eat; a delicacy.

   synonyms:

   delicacy, tidbit, fancy, luxury, treat; More nibble, appetizer; confection, bonbon, goody; archaicsweetmeat "homemade dainties"

Origin

Middle English (in the sense ‘tidbit, [something] pleasing to the palate’): from Old French daintie, deintie ‘choice morsel, pleasure,’ from Latin dignitas ‘worthiness or beauty,’ from dignus ‘worthy.’

 

Here's a picture of me and my dog, because everyone loves dogs and she's the cutest. 

 

Allons- Des