Cajun BBQ Tower of Love
Lets have a little fun and start grilling and chilling. The weather is mild and is time to entertain with family and friends out on the barbecue (BBQ). I have a great little recipe coming your way and a giveaway too!
When the weather gets warmer, it only seems natural to want to be outdoors and enjoy the rays. Build your family and friends a BBQ tower of love with grilled sweet and spicy jalapeño cornbread, topped off with some of the delicious zesty grilled corn and pineapple salsa and then topped with tender, succulent Cajun lime shrimp. This dish is perfect for entertaining around the grill.
I made an egg free, lactose free and gluten-free Jalapeño Cornbread with Cajun spices that was super moist and delicious. I can't believe gluten-free can be so good.
I then cut out a few slices of the baked Jalapeño Cornbread and put them on the grill to get nice and toasty on the outside and warm and moist on the inside. I swear I could have made a meal out of just that...
I then marinated my shrimp in Cajun Seasoning, lime, olive oil and cilantro and put them on the grill until they were just perfectly rosy pink.
I should have anticipated this particular problem, as a mother of hungry boy teenagers, but for some reason I only purchased about a 2.0 pounds of shrimp. I know, I know!!! What was I thinking?!?! For some strange reason I was under the impression that 2.0 pounds of shrimp should be more than enough to feed a family of four.
The "usual math" for determining how much shrimp to serve at a meal is about 1/2 pound of shrimp per person as a main. This math is not accurate for hungry teenagers, it is not anywhere even in the ballpark. I did manage to get in there a fetch off a few delicious Cajun lime shrimp for myself. I have learned my lessons the hard way but I always serve up my small plate of food first and hide it in the kitchen before feeding the hungry boys. These Cajun lime shrimp were perfectly seasoned and juicy.
I finished off the corn on the cob on the grill and slathered them with a little butter, Cajun seasoning and lime zest.
I grilled my pineapple until they had nice little grill marks and the sweet flavour intensified.
I made a very delicious salsa with grilled pineapple, grilled corn on the cob, red peppers, onion, cilantro, lime and of course more of that delicious Cajun seasoning. I really enjoyed this fun and easy salsa. Grilling the pineapple and the corn really made the flavours come out and it is slightly sweet, slightly spicy, slightly tart and delicious. This salsa would be great with fish, chicken or any type of TEX MEX meal.
I then built the tower of love starting with my grilled Jalapeño Cornbread on the bottom of the plate, then I topped it off with some of the delicious zesty grilled corn and pineapple salsa and then topped the whole plate off with the Cajun lime shrimp.
The inspiration for this dish was Chef Lenny. Chef Lenny and I are Foodie Facebook buddies. I always love keeping in touch with him as he is a big avid fisherman and he posts the pictures of his catches of the day. One day, I was commenting on how delicious one of his meals looked with lots of fresh seafood and Cajun spices and how my boys put Cajun seasoning on everything, I mean everything.... like macaroni and cheese, eggs, soups, chicken, fish, and even popcorn. Hey don't knock the popcorn idea until you tried it. It is quite nice.
I did not realise this at the time but in addition to being a chef, Chef Lenny also has his own seasoning brand called "Chef Lenny's Seasoning Original Cajun Style". How fun is that!
My boys starting using Chef Lenny's Cajun seasoning on everything. Before my boys polished off the bottle, I decided to make my Jalapeño Cornbread with BBQ Cajun Lime Shrimp and Pineapple Corn Salsa. My boys and I have tried many different Cajun spice brands in the past. Most of them are extremely spicy and without much flavour. I really enjoyed Chef Lenny's Cajun spice as it was slightly smokey and flavourful with a little heat. I have not gotten much feedback from the boys. However, actions do speak louder than words, and they managed to polished off 2 pounds of Cajun lime shrimp in about 5 minutes flat.
Well don't take my word for it, give Chef Lenny's Cajun spice a try. He even has his own webpage.. http://cheflennyseasonings.com/ChefLennySeasonings/Cajun_Seasoning.html and facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chef-Lennys-Cajun-Style-Seasoning/260992603949869?fref=ts
Chef Lenny is sponsoring a gift giveaway on Bam's Kitchen and will provide the lucky winner with a dual care package of his delicious Chef Lenny's Cajun Spices. Everyone is invited to participate in the giveaway and have a chance to make your own version of Jalapeño Cornbread with BBQ Cajun Lime Shrimp and Pineapple Corn Salsa.
To enter, please leave a comment on this post with your favorite Cajun recipe ideas or paste a link to your favorite Cajun recipes before May 28th, 2013 at 8:00pm EDT. You also need to be subscribed to Bam's Kitchen by e-mail so if you currently are not subscribed to Bam's Kitchen by e-mail, please take a moment to do so.
The Rules: This giveaway is open to Worldwide applicants. Entries that do not meet the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be selected by random.org and announced on May 29th, 2013.
GIVEAWAY is CLOSED.
Full disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Chef Lenny. Bam's Kitchen is not getting paid or receiving compensation for this giveaway.
Cajun BBQ Tower of Love
May 14, 2013
Build your family and friends a BBQ tower of love with grilled Jalapeño Cornbread, topped off with some of the delicious zesty grilled corn and pineapple salsa and then topped with tender, succulent cajun lime shrimp.
- Cook: 1 hr
- Yields: 4 Adults or 1 Hungry Teenager
Ingredients
Jalapeno Corn Bread
butter - 3 tablespoons melted (I used lactose free margarine)
apple sauce - 1/3 cup natural plain
honey - 1/4 cup (or agave syrup other sugar alternatives)
sugar or sugar alternative - 1/4 cup (I used coconut sugar but any low glycemic sugar alternative you prefer will work)
egg replacement - 1 egg or (1 teaspoon baking powder +1 Tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon vinegar)
almond milk - 1 cup ( substitute with buttermilk and then omit vinegar.
rice vinegar - 1 tablespoon vinegar or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (added to almond milk )
cajun seasoning - 1/2 teaspoon (I used chef Lenny's Cajun Seasoning)
cornmeal - 1 cup fine to medium grain
gluten free bread mix - 1 cup (I used Bob's Red Mill mix)
Cajun Lime Shrimp
shrimp - 2 pounds uncooked peeled, deveined but leave tail on.
lime juice - juice of one lime
cajun seasoning - 1.5 tablespoons or to taste (I used Chef Lenny's Cajun Spice)
cilantro - 2 tablespoons chopped
Grilled Pineapple Corn Salsa
corn on cob - 2 ears (husks removed, washed and steamed)
cajun seasoning - 1/2 teaspoon
lime zest - zest of one small lime or about 1 teaspoon
pineapple - 6 slices of fresh pineapple sprayed with a little cooking oil spray so they don't stick on the grill
onion - 1 small chopped or about 1/4 cup
tomato - 3/4 cup fresh chopped
cilantro - large handful chopped
cajun seasoning - 1 tablespoon(I used Chef Lenny's Cajun Seasoning)
Directions
1Make the Jalapeño Cornbread:
2 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and lightly grease an iron skillet or loaf pan or even muffin tins , if you wish.
3Make Buttermilk subsitute-In a small bowl add the 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the one cup almond milk and set aside. If you are using buttermilk you can omit this step. (I use almond milk as I am lactose intolerant)
4Make egg replacement- In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon baking powder +1 Tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon vinegar. If you are using a real egg, you can omit this step. (I use an egg replacer as I am egg intolerant)
5Melt the butter and add it to a large mixing bowl. Add the applesauce, honey and sugar alternatives of choice, egg or egg replacer and mix.
6Add the salt, baking soda and cajun seasoning and mix.
7Add the almond milk and vinegar mixture or buttermilk and mix.
8Stir in cornmeal and gluten free bread mix until well incorported.
9Pour your cornmeal mixture into your greased pan (I used an iron skillet) and make sure the mixture is spread evenly in the pan. Place your sliced jalapeño slices to decorate the top of the bread. (You could also put some jalapeño slices directly into the mix but I wanted mine easy to pick out or off if not wanted.)
10Pop your bread in your preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean and the top is slightly golden brown. (If hosting a gathering this can be done the day ahead)
11Set aside the jalapeño cornbread to rest while you prepare the rest of your dishes.
12Make the Grilled Pineapple Corn Salsa
13Cook your corn on the cob. You can do this by many methods just pick one that suites you. If you want to stay outside and enjoy the day, remove the silk threads from the corn and soak corn in water and then grill your corn on the grill for about 1/2 hour. You can also steam for 1/2 hour, boil for about 20 minutes or also cook your corn in the microwave for about 10-12 minutes or until the corn is tender. The choice is yours.
14In a small bowl, combine melted butter, cajun seasoning and lime zest. Mix and brush on the corn.
15Preheat/prepare your BBQ grill. I have a gas grill but a charcoal grill is even better. If you do not have a grill , no worries, a grill pan on top of your stove works great too.
16Chop up red bell peppers, onions, cilantro and add to a medium bowl. Add fresh lime juice and cilantro and cajun seasoning and stir. Set aside until you finish grilling your corn and pineapple that will be added later.
17Cut pineapple into half slice slices that are big enough to put on the grill and don't fall through the cracks. I used fresh pineapple but in a pinch you could substitute with canned pineapple. Brush with a little olive oil or use a little spray oil so they do not stick on the grill. Set aside to be grilled later.
18Cajun Lime Shrimp
19In a medium bowl place your cleaned deveined shrimp but leave the tail on. Add olive oil, cajun seasoning, lime juice and cilantro and mix well. Set aside. Can be marinated up to 4 hours in advance.
20Pulling it all together
21Place your buttered corn and pineapple on the BBQ grill medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until you see nice grill marks. Once you flip over your corn and pineapple once, you can add your marinated cajun lime shrimp to the grill. (Your shrimp will cook really fast about maybe about 1-2 minutes on each side until they are beautifully pink and no longer translucent. Do not overcook the shrimp)
22Remove shrimp, corn and pineapple from the grill and keep warm. Keep the gas on the grill as next you will be grilling your cornbread.
23Cut the pineapple into bite sized pieces and add to the salsa. Cut the corn off the cob and add to the salsa and stir. Adjust seasoning as needed. Salt and pepper.
24Cut wedges from your Jalapeño cornbread and brush with a little olive oil and place on the grill just until it gets warm and you have nice grill marks on each side.
25Build Your Tower of Love:
26Place one slice of grilled jalapeño cornbread on the centre of the plate. Top with a couple tablespoons of your delicious grilled pineapple corn salsa. Top off with 3 large succulent cajun lime shrimp. Place the rest of the items in the table to share. Enjoy with a large salad, fruity sangrias or your favourite beer or "ginger ale" for the kids.
27Have fun Grilling and chilling!
