Fit Fare

I have vivid food memories of eating roast beef poor boys.
There was a place in New Orleans that my dad would bring me to every so often. I remember sitting on a stool near the counter while we waited for our poor boys to be made. They would be brought to us wrapped in foil […]

Many people do not usually associate cajun cooking and health. I have been self-appointed to rectify this situation. Over the past few months I have shared family recipes, some modified, others in their original form and have attempted to showcase the health benefits of this beloved cuisine.For those readers that are now inspired to buy […]

As the weather starts to get cooler my cooking style changes and I begin to prepare more soups and stews. One of my favorite cool weather meals is shrimp stew. I learned how to prepare this from my mother, who was born and raised in the heart of cajun country near Lafayette, Louisiana.
This recipe exemplifies […]

This weekend, the Garden of Eve Organic Farm, in Riverhead, NY, is holding their 3rd Annual Garlic Festival. (Check out the festival write-up in Growers and Growers.) All that garlic in the air reminds me of home as garlic is an integral seasoning used in cajun and creole cooking. It is part of the “trinity” […]

One of my favorite places to visit in the French Quarter is Central Grocery. This is where I have my first memory of a muffuletta. A traditional muffuletta sandwich can easily feed 3-4 hungry people. The sandwich is made on round seeded Italian bread which is piled high with salami (1/4 pound), ham (1/2 […]

Creole okra and tomatoes is a favorite dish at our house. At our annual Mardi Gras party this year I made this dish for our guests to rave reviews - even from the 3 year olds. I think okra has a bad reputation as the slimy vegetable, in part due to its viscous nature. I […]

Whenever I visit Louisiana I always make sure I eat at least one po-boy, preferably with fresh seafood. The most popular seafood po-boys are made with fried shrimp, fried catfish or fried oysters. When in season, fried crawfish is good too.

What makes a po-boy special? The filling in a real po-boy spills onto your plate […]

This will be the first article in a series about Cajun and Creole cooking. Growing up in South Louisiana it is safe to say that most of what we ate was not considered “fit fare”. My mother prepared all kinds of rich etoufees and stews, hearty gumbos, vegetable casseroles (with plenty of cheese and butter), […]

Denise Hall is a registered dietitian living on Long Island. She has worked in nutrition research centers, hospitals, and outpatient clinics. She tries to buy all of her food locally and is currently working on a project about a local CSA (community supported agriculture), the Garden of Eve Organic Farm. She often […]