Red Beans and Rice with Shrimp and seasoning!

 So basically the same as my standard but using shrimp instead. It worked up a lot faster because I only had to flavor the shrimp. My sweetie shelled them in the morning while I was knitting in the bedroom. So much faster, had to chop onion and bell pepper and crush the garlic.

I have realized though, there is a difference between 'Diced Tomatoes with Jalapeño and Diced Tomatoes with Chilis. I mistakenly had picked out one of the former cans when shopping and thought it was the same as Rotel. Not quite. Definitely spicier but it adds a deeper zing to the dish. I used a DIY 'Cajun' spice recipe for the shrimp, not too heavy, just enough for flavoring. 

Only used 2 cups of water instead of three the box called for and didn't drain the tomatoes so it still turned out almost soupy. Still good, but one of these days I'll hit the right ratio. I added about a 1/2 tsp of chicken bullion powder to the 2 cups of water. 2 large cloves of garlic, half a yellow onion and half a bell pepper chopped and about a teaspoon of lime juice. So simple and delicious. 

In regards to the Cajun spice mix, I had to make my own because I was running to the bottom of my bottle. What I also discovered was, the difference between 'Creole' and 'Cajun' spice mixes.The two Ethnic groups co-exist in the American South and mistakenly are interchanged. It is also a lot like 'curry' spice, there are regional differences just like any other cooking.

I found this Creole spice mix and it is really not that far from the Cajun. It called for 2 2/3 tablespoons which is an odd amount, I have never seen 2/3 tablespoon measure in any recipe. A tablespoon is 3 tsp so 2 tbl and 2 tsp is the equivalent. Why? I simplified the ingredients list and measurements

'Creole Spice Mix' (large amount)

Produce

2 tbsp Garlic powder + 2 tsp

2 tbsp Onion powder + 2 tsp

2 tsp dry/crushed Oregano

2 tsp dry/crushed Thyme

2 tbsp Black pepper

2 tbsp Cayenne pepper (gonna leave this without the additional tsps)

3 tbsp Kosher salt

1/2 cup Paprika

2 tbsp White pepper

Now as you can see it called for... l/2 cup Paprika. So this is a recipe for a very large amount! Until recently I have not had that much paprika in my kitchen. I finally decided to stock up and buy a larger container at the store because I realized I was using a lot more for my spice mixes. I have seen other version include basil as well but the ratios and ingredients are essentially the same.

'Cajun' Spice Mix

2 tbsp Paprika

2 tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tbsp Sea Salt

2 tsp Onion powder

2 tsp Oregano

2 tsp Cayenne

2 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

I am not a fan of large chunks of spices in my food. Nothing more annoying that getting a mouthful of food and there's a bit of oregano leaf or rosemary in your mouth.  So, to that end, you can substitute Chili powder for the pepper flakes just fine. Which I did, I sifted all the spices into a bowl then replaced the chili flakes that were removed with a tsp of chili powder.

There is no pepper at all in the Cajun mix, black or white. Something else I should probably invest in is some white pepper.

So there's the rub..spices...mixes.... the shrimp is now gone, will see what I do next month with shrimp.