An Early Holiday Gift and Great Food!

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I got an early holiday gift tonight. My boss has decided to give us a 1/2 day off work today. Now as most of you know I am a teacher and should generally have a 1/2 day off due to the nature of the job. This year we were supposed to have meetings after the kids went home. Those meetings have been canceled and now I can do much needed errands after work. Yea!

Mom on the Run was running today. I managed to fit in an eyebrow wax, picking up both kids, a workout using the 30–day shred, and cooking dinner all by 7:30 tonight. Best of all I feel great

Glimpse of the Heart Rate Monitor from today:

252 Calories/ 30 Day Shred

Workout Diary: Today was my first day back on the 30-day Shred since the summer. There were lots of moments of swearing at Jillian and grunts of working through the end of the video. I felt great after the workout and I probably could have done some treadmill work but I needed to cook dinner. I am sure I will be a little bit sore in the morning. Tomorrow with my little bit of free time I will put in extra time on the treadmill. Anything to get ready for my 4.5 mile Thanksgiving race/walk.

After the workout I made the most fabulous meal incorporated by a new product that I was sent to try. I was sent two products from Dulcet Cuisine to incorporate into my cooking. The product that I tried tonight is the Dulcet Cuisine: Creole Cooking Spice and Rub.

I was so excited because included with the spice was a recipe for one of my husbands favorite dishes, Shrimp Etouffe. A great “clean” product and recipe…..BONUS!

A little about Dulcet Cuisine and why I was so excited to try this product.

I think the Dulcet’s mission statement speaks for why I love this product so much.

Our Mission

Clean, beautiful food. Purity of ingredients. Ease of use. At Dulcet Cuisine, we take great pride in producing all-natural, gluten-free and preservative-free products that make everyday dining at home exotic, delicious,and downright easy. It is with equal pride that we fulfill our responsibility to planet Earth. To that end, we use recycled materials, support sustainable farms and employ renewable energy resources.

A product that fits my strive for a “clean eating” lifestyle. The rub came in a recycled container (see picture above).  The rub itself sounded incredible when I first read about it.

Creole Cooking Spice & Rub:

Capturing the piquant marriage of the European and African influences of the region, this spice blend is sure to add some kick to favorite Louisiana recipes. A recipe for Rock Shrimp Etouffee is on the package. Additional Creole and Cajun recipes can be found on our recipe page.

So I immediately got the ingredients for the Shrimp Etoufee recipe and begun cooking.

Etouffe

¼ c all purpose flour
2 T extra virgin olive oil
¼ c butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 c celery, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
2 T Dulcet Creole Cooking Spice & Rub
2 c vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 lbs rock shrimp or crawfish

1. Place the flour in a dry frying pan over medium heat and toast until golden brown, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, approx 15 minutes.

2. Heat the vegetable stock over medium low heat in a separate pot.

3. In a heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat, add the olive oil.

4. When the flour is golden, whisk it into the butter and olive oil until smooth.

5. Continue to cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until it turns the color of peanut butter.

6. Add the finely chopped vegetables, the Dulcet Creole Cooking Spice & Rub and cook until vegetable are softened. A little stock may need to be added at this point to prevent burning.

7. Once the vegetables are soft, slowly whisk in the remaining stock.

8. Add the diced tomatoes (I modified this a bit with tomato paste), bay leaf and keep at a low simmer until it thickens into a silky gravy texture.

9. Add the shrimp(we used jumbo shrimp) or crawfish, the lemon juice and the parsley and cook for 5 minutes or until the shrimp are just cooked through.

10. Serve over steamed rice.

I used a short cut- Whole Foods Frozen Brown Rice. A MOTR favorite

The completed dish:

This is when I wish my computer screen was scratch and sniff. Holy Yum! The dish was incredible. The Creole Rub added a nice down south taste to this dish. I will never go back to the fake Cajun spice I buy at the grocery store again. I have made this dish many times but this one was by far my favorite. It was so good the husband licked his plate clean (and maybe I secretly did it too!).

If you would like to learn more about Dulcet and see the other great products like exotic ketchups and mustard visit their website for information on how to find the product in a store near you. Highly recommend to my Gluten-Free readers. I can’t wait to try the other suggested recipes for this product.

Off to enjoy my half day and catch up on my favorite blogs.

Don’t forget to enter my Be sure to enter my Fan Appreciation Giveaway.

Enjoy the holiday and safe travels