Grilling Cajun with Chef of the Future - Seasoning Review

Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning by Chef of the Future

I've been grilling and cooking inside too with Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning for several months now, and it is one of my all time favorite seasonings.

When you hear the word "cajun" and you're not from that area, you may start thinking "blazing hot." While you can get really hot food in cajun country, it's not all about the heat. They have a range of flavors ranging from mild to hot and a lot in between.

Robert (AKA - Chef of the Future) offered to send out a bottle of his seasoning Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning, and I was curious about this one especially given the long name. He did warn me ahead of time that it was not a hot mix.

I don't remember the first foods we had when trying out NYACS, but this week, I grilled shrimp and vegetables in a grill wok with Allegro Soy & Lime marinade and seasoned with Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning.

Wok Grilled Shrimp with Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning

This is a super easy dinner. I just marinate the shrimp and veggies (like green peppers and mushrooms) and then put them in a heated grill with the wok warmed up. It takes around 20 minutes for the meal to be ready (stirring now and then). I usually make rice to go with our grilled shrimp.

The Guys Enjoying Shrimp Seasoned with NYACS

Chef of the Future gets thumbs up all round from my mild son to my son who does love spicy food. This makes for a great all purpose seasoning that I can use on just about everything - probably not on cake or pie etc - but certainly yummy on foods I grill and in scrambled eggs, popcorn, and even in my Seven Layer Dip.

Seven Layer Dip With Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning

We had a family dinner yesterday, and I made Seven Layer Dip but used NYACS as the signature flavor rather than taco seasoning. It turned out really yummy.

How to Make Seven Layer Dip with Chef of the Future Seasoning

1. Get a 9 inch pie plate or a Tupperware container like I use that is in that size range.

2. Spread a can of refried beans (around 10 oz) on the bottom and sprinkle with NYACS. This is a lot less expensive than buying bean dip. And, I prefer to add the seasonings myself anyone so that I can vary the flavors a bit or make the dip milder or hotter.

3. On top of the beans, spread a layer of guacamole dip (10 oz - give or take). You can buy it pre-made or make your own. I usually guy Dean's guacamole dip which is really good.

4. In a small bowl, mix a teaspoon or two of Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning with 8 oz of sour cream. Some people go a little heavier on the sour cream. Mix that and then layer on top of the guacamole.

5. If serving the next day, refrigerate at this point. If serving the same day, then add the toppings - some chopped tomatoes, chopped scallions (the little green ends on new onions), and black olives (if you like those).

6. Sprinkle cheese on top. You can shread cheddar. Here I had a 4 mexi-mix cheese pre-shredded so used that on top.

7. Keep chilled in a covered container until ready to dig in with tortilla chips.

Yum! This is a TOP PICK seasoning around here.

We really love Chef of the Future - Not Your Average Cajun Seasoning. It does have a unique taste. It's 100% natural with spices and a little lemon. You get a robust flavor with a slight kick but not a scorch which would limit how you might use NYACS. I grill and cook with this seasoning, but we also use it on the table as a "go to" for whatever we're having for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Bandiola Spice Company - Uncle Mike's Seasoning on Grilled Chicken Fillets - YUM

Bandiola - Uncle Mikes Lucky 333 Spice Blend

It was another fast food night with grilled chicken fillets or tenders. I can grill those up faster than I can go pick up food, so I keep the tenders on hand for busy nights, and I dress them up with different seasonings and barbecue sauces.

Mike and I are Facebook friends, and he sent me several free samples of his spices to try out on the grill. I do reviews when I have some extra time - mostly the small companies. And, I give my honest spin on what we thought here. It's a gamble, but I've found some real gems over the years.

Some of the Bandiola blends are specific barbecue spice mixes. Others are general purpose spice mixes which are also fine for grilled foods. I went with Uncle Mike's 333 this week, because the description made me smile. You're invited to email to find out what is lucky about 333, and I have not done that yet. I will, but I don't want to spill the beans. I'm sure some savvy readers will check that out and get the scoop. I'm keeping mum when I do find out.

Uncle Mikes seasoning blend smelled great when I opened it up. It's a richer and more complex combination of scents - kind of like Grandma's house or maybe Thanksgiving time.

When I'm trying a new spice mixture on grilled foods, I keep it simple so that I get the full taste of the seasoning. I rubbed a little olive oil on the chicken so that the spice mixture would stick and also to prevent sticking on the grates. Then, I warmed up the grill until the grates were hot (also helps prevent sticking) and then backed the heat down a bit and put the chicken on.

Chicken fillets cook quick on the grill. I didn't stand there and time it, but I go around 5 minutes per side. It can be longer with thicker pieces of chicken and less time with thin or small chicken tenders.

One way to eyeball it is to look at the sides of the chicken fillets. When you see the white start to creep up the sides of the chicken, then it's time to flip it. You can see the chicken just flipped above.

I pulled the chicken off the grill, and we checked it out. Chicken grilled this way is good on buns, but we just ate it plain to get the full flavor of Uncle Mikes.

Just as the seasoning smelled complex, it also had layers of flavor as we were eating the chicken. There's some pepper in there, but this is not a hot rub. It's an all purpose seasoning.

The first flavor I noticed was rosemary which is one of my favorites, but I seldom taste that in spice mixes. The guys didn't pick this up, but they aren't likely to notice any particular taste - just whether they like the overall flavor or not. Both thought the taste of Uncle Mikes was excellent, and my son was quite glad that he did not have to run off looking for a glass of milk (as I've hit him with some hot foods lately).

I say thumbs up to Bandiola Uncle Mikes Lucky 333. It's bold without being overpowering. The flavor is textured with the high note for me being the rosemary. I think I'll use Uncle Mike's the next time I make turkey stuffing (which will be a while - as it's not close the holidays). Uncle Mikes is rich enough (I think) to work there, and we have a family member who can't eat sage. That has complicated making great stuffing, and I think this spice mix would bump up dressing and make up for the lack of sage (unless that secret ingredient turns out to be sage).