Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras Day


In honor of the start of Mardi Gras and today being Fat Tuesday, I decided to get on the Cajun 'Who Dat' band wagon and celebrate New Orleans style! A favorite cajun item I got at World Market today was a bag of Zapp's Cajun Crawtator potato chips! They are so good.  We found Zapp's potato chips back when we used to live in Pensacola, FL around 1987!  That really isn't "that" long ago, is it?? 

This dinner I made tonight is fit for any 'Nawlin, even though it is served with pasta instead of rice.  It is REALLY good and REALLY spicy!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

8 ounces linguine pasta
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
4 tablespoons butter
2 red bell pepper, sliced
2 green bell pepper, sliced
8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 green onion, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in a plastic bag. Shake to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter or margarine until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).

Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.

Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

(I used thinly sliced chicken breast, whole wheat pasta linguine and fat-free half and half in place of the heavy cream, and this dish was spicy and delicious!)

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone!



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