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Most spicy food lovers I know have an appreciation for Cajun and Creole cuisine. It is loaded with seasonings and flavors, giving us famous dishes like gumbo, etouffee, hoppin’ john, and red beans and rice. One dish you may not have heard of, though, is Couvillion. We’re making it today, my friends, and I think you’re going to absolutely love it. This particular version is more of the rustic variety, which starts with a dark roux, includes the Cajun Holy Trinity of vegetables, and lots of seasonings, fish and crawfish, my very favorite way to make it....

Just when I thought I couldn’t love Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe any more, it became creamilicious. avocadolicious. can’t stop eatilicious. Whenever I make Mexican food, AKA one of my most favorite food groups, I somehow always end up combining rice, avocados and black beans in one form or another. The texture of the rice, the heartiness of the beans, the creaminess of the avocados spiked with cilantro and lime is a mouthful I just can’t seem to get enough of....

Chicken Pasta recipes are always a dinner win! Along with this Jerk Chicken Pasta, you’ll love Blackened Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, Cajun Chicken Pasta, Parmesan Chicken Pasta, and Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta. HOW TO MAKE Jerk Chicken Pasta VIDEo Jerk Chicken Pasta Ingredients In this chicken pasta recipe, juicy chicken cutlets are boldly seasoned with jerk seasoning and mixed into creamy, cheesy pasta. This decadent dinner made easy is a winner every time!...

For some dishes, I purposely make extra so that my family can enjoy a different dish with the leftover. I love Japanese croquette (Korokke) so much that I always make extra and look forward to eating croquette sandwich or Korokke Sando (コロッケサンド) the following day. Mom’s Croquette Sandwich My mom knows how much I love her Korokke. She usually makes Korokke (her recipe here) as our last dinner when we visit Japan....

How to Make Nachos We’re cooking up a huge plate of Homemade Nachos in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. You can’t go wrong with homemade nachos. There are so many ways to make them, and you can really customize the dish pretty much any way you’d like. It’s an easy win for spicy food lovers like myself who love the creative possibilities, and I can really spice things up as much as I want to....

PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER PINEAPPLE MANGO SALSA RECIPE It’s time for another intoxicating salsa recipe! Summer is synonymous for salsa in my book. You get the fresh rainbow of ingredients dancing together to create a bright, refreshing appetizer and you don’t even have to turn on your oven or stove! Some of my favorite salsa recipes include homemade restaurant-style salsa, roasted salsa verde, strawberry salsa, mango salsa, pineapple salsa, corn salsa, avocado corn salsa, and black bean corn salsa; but this pineapple mango salsa might just be the most “summery” of them all with its vibrant, refreshing tropical fruits that whisk you away to the islands....

Stir Fry the Chicken. Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or pan to medium-high heat or high heat and swirl to coat. Cook the chicken 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the each side of the chicken forms a crispy golden brown crust. Don’t let it stick to the bottom of the pan. General Tso’s Chicken is a a dish of crispy deep-fried chicken tossed in a sweet and spicy Chinese sauce....

Green Gumbo Recipe (Gumbo Z’Herbes) We’re cooking up a classic gumbo you may not have heard of in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen tonight, my friends. It’s called “Gumbo Z’Herbes”, or Green Gumbo. You may have had a good bowl of Cajun or Creole gumbo before, but you may not be familiar with this particular version of the recipe. I love to make mine with a mixture of greens, and you can really change it up based on what’s available to you, along with smoked ham and andouille sausage....

Add the shrimp and toss in your Buffalo sauce to get them nicely coated. Toss to coat! A recipe that will satisfy just about EVERYONE? Even the pickiest of eaters? Here it is! Grilled Buffalo Shrimp. YES! These Buffalo Shrimp are grilled instead of breaded and fried until golden brown like your typical Buffalo Shrimp, making them healthier to serve, but also MUCH FASTER to bring to the table. That’s a HUGE bonus, right?...

As spring approaches, Japan turns into a shade of pink. It is a time of renewal of life and beauty, and we celebrate this turn of the season with cherry blossom viewing (or Hanami in Japanese). A tradition that dates back as early as the 8th century. During the cherry blossom viewing, the Japanese also enjoy different types of wagashi (traditional confectionery) including Hanami Dango (花見団子). What is Hanami Dango?...

Pork Tenderloin marinated in a sweet and tangy Hawaiian marinade with only 10 minutes of Hands-ON prep! This marinated pork tenderloin recipe is simple to make, quick to cook (grill or stovetop), tantalizingly juicy and will whisk your taste buds away to the tropics! It’s ideal for an easy prep-ahead dinner or stress-free entertaining because the marinade literally does all the work, leaving you with melt-in-your-mouth pork and hardly any cleanup!...

Japanese short-grain brown rice or Genmai (玄米) is a great alternative to short-grain white rice when you seek better health. Many people enjoy brown rice for its high fiber and nutritional value. With its chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor, it’s also satisfying and delicious! Today, I’ll share the right ratio of rice and water for Japanese short-grain brown rice, and how to rinse the rice and cook it properly in a rice cooker....

If you need support for your growing pepper plants, insert a stick near the main stem and tie the plant to the stick with a string. Choosing a Pot for Growing Chili Peppers Choose a pot or container that offers sufficient drainage. You don’t want to waterlog your plants, as that is the main cause of disease and other issues with growing. A 5-gallon pot that is 12 inches deep is good for most single plants....

In Japanese cuisine, we sometimes make fancy shapes out of ingredients like vegetables and shiitake mushrooms. Today, I’ll show you how to make nejiri ume (ねじり梅) or plum blossom carrots out of carrot slices using a vegetable cutter and a knife. How to Use Nejiri Ume You can add these plum flower carrots to simmered and hot pot dishes for both celebratory occasions and everyday meals. You’ll find them added to chikuzenni (筑前煮), which is both a home cooking classic and a signature recipe of Japanese New Year cuisine called osechi ryori....

I’ve been meaning to share this super easy tahini recipe for a while now. I meant to share it along with my post on baba ganoush. However, I’ve been on a soup spree these past few months, which by the way I hope you enjoyed 🙂 It’s time to wrap up my posts on soups and warming foods, coz Spring is almost here 😀 If it is still cold where you are at, I encourage you to try this Instant Pot tortellini soup which has been the most tried and tested soup recipe from my blog this season!...

Once you purchase your first donabe (土鍋), a traditional Japanese clay pot, it’s time to season it before the first use. If you haven’t found a donabe yet, check out my donabe purchasing guide first. Since I received several questions from my readers about how to season and care for donabe, I’ll be covering some key points today. What is Donabe? Traditionally made of special clay, donabe is a centuries-old cooking vessel from Japan....

On one of my night outs with my girlfriends, one of them mentioned that she had made Chole Aloo for lunch that day. That is when it occurred to me that I had never added potatoes to this chickpea curry before. The combination of potatoes and chickpeas sounded like a wonderful idea and it was something I had to try myself! I did just that. I chose to make this curry in an Instant Pot instead of the stove-top because of my mail subscribers!...

If you are in the Hiroshima area, you must not miss the opportunity to visit one of the unique shrines in Japan, Itsukushima Shrine. The torii gate for Itsukushima Shrine is one of the most recognizable icons of Japan. Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社) Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto Shrine best known for the floating torii gate. The original shrine was first built in 593 by Saeki Kuramoto and continued to evolve and grow in size until 1325....

Called Nasu (茄子, ナス, なす) in Japanese, Japanese eggplant is typically long, slender, and oblong, about 20-25 cm in length. It comes in dark purple and has glossy smooth skin. The flesh is cream-colored, almost seedless, and spongy. Some classic side dishes using Japanese eggplant are nasu agebitashi and nasu dengaku. What Is Japanese Eggplant The Japanese eggplant (Solanum melongena) is long and slender with tender skin and soft, creamy flesh....

Poor Patty didn’t get to have any of these wings. She was out again on another GNO - Girls Night Out! I’m sure she had fun, but not as fun as I had, enjoying these wings all to myself. Haha! Win! So hard to resist! We’re going Caribbean with this recipe. It’s a double whammy flavor blast, actually triple if you count the brine. I brined the chicken wings to make them extra moist on the inside....