Tamale Stuffing

2 Dozen cooked beef and pork tamales, husks removed
3 1/2 cups Ro-Tel tomatoes with diced green chilis with juice
1 (16 oz) package grated three cheese blend (mozzerlla, cheddar and jack cheese)
2 cups chopped onion
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dark chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 to 3 tsp kosher salt, to taste

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowk, crumble tamales by hand into bite size pieces. Do not mix in a mixer or food processor, which makes the stuffing too dense.
• In separate bowl, combine tomatoes and green chilis with juice, cheese, onion, garlic, oregano, chili powder, cumin and salt. Add to tamales and toss.
• Put in large greased baking pan or two 9 inch oven-proof dishes and bake 20-30 minutes, or until brown and hot throughout.

Makes 12 servings, each 230 calories (37.3 percent calories from fat), 10g fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 1,100 mg sodium, 20g carbohydrates, 4g dietary fiber, 16g protein.

Crawfish/Shrimp Cornbread Dressing

1 pound small shrimp
1 pound Louisiana crawfish
1 bell pepper chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
1 bunch scallions (green onions)
2 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp poultry seasonings
Tony's seasoning to taste or your choice Cajun seasoning
double recipe of homemade cornbread

Make your corn bread ahead of time so it can cool. I make my own chicken broth by boiling approximately 3 ribbed chicken breast with onions, bell peppers and celery in it. (I take the chicken out after done and refrigerate and keep for chicken salad). Crumble up your cornbread in a baking pan. Add chopped vegetables, crawfish, shrimp and broth including the cooked vegetables from the broth. Season with Tony's and poultry seasoning. Mix it well. You want it to be really wet. The cornbread will soak up alot of the juices. If there is not enough broth you can add milk to it. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook about another 15 minutes to brown the top. The cooking time may vary as you do not want it to be dry. You want to make sure the dressing stays moist. Great with barbeque brisket as a side dish or stuffed in a bell pepper.

Source: Tesse Duhon at RealCajunRecipes.com