Cajun Red Beans & Rice...Notes for next time!

Tonight I made Cajun Red Beans & Rice from the latest Cooking Light.  Tasty enough to try again, but with some notes for improvement next time.  Overall, I'd say it could use a bit more kick.  I had made my own Cajun spice blend, following this recipe.  After sampling the dish, I just added a bit of extra cayenne and black pepper to the blend for next time.  I think 2 to 3 tsps is probably closer to the right amount of the Cajun blend, compared to the 1.5 called for.  That, and/or dice a jalapeno to go along with the onion/bell pepper mixture.

As to the meat, I tossed in a bit of leftover steak, which worked well.  I used garlic & herb sausage, but again something with a bit more kick could work better.

One packet of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice was just right for this dish.  I mixed it in toward the end of cooking.

A fair amount tweaks proposed by next time, but this is fairly quick, healthy and a bit different than my usual weeknight fare, so it seems worth the effort to try again!