Jamaican Red Beans and Cow Tripe Soup

Best Soup Ever! I made this soup a couple of weeks ago and posted a picture of it on Facebook shortly after. My friends were sending me private messages and talking about it like no other soups that I've ever shared with them. It is different, I know, but super delicious and worth a try. Beef Tripe is the stomach lining of the cow, a delicacy in several countries and a popular soup that is sold along the roadside in Jamaica.

Ingredients

1 1/2lb Tripe

1lb of Beef Soup Bone

Pork Hocks- Remove meat and skin and cut into small bite size pieces

1 Can of Coconut Milk

2 Cans of Red Kidney Beans

2 Carrots

1lb Dasheen ( See picture in Jamaican breakfast recipe)

1 Cup Flour for Dumplings

Corn on the Cob 

4 Scallion Stalks

Thyme

6 Pegs of Garlic

1 Scotch Bonnet or Habenero Pepper

Salt

10 Jamaican Allspice Berries

2 Packs of Grace Cock Soup

Method 

Boil allspice, soup bones, tripe, meat from the pork hocks, garlic, carrots and one can of the kidney beans in a deep pot for an hour. In the meantime, knead flour with water and salt to make small dumplings. Add more water to fill the pot to 3/4 way and bring to boil. Now pinch and roll the dough to make long dumplings and add to the pot. Peel and dice dasheen, cut corn into 3 pieces and transfer to the pot along with coconut milk and the remaining can of beans and cook for 30 minutes. Season the soup with pepper, scallion, thyme, the packets of cock soup base and cook for 15-20 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed, the cock soup is pretty salty so wait until it's mixed in before you add anymore. I hope you'll enjoy this beautiful combination of unique ingredients, share it with your neighbor :).

BNW~

Jamaican Breakfast-Brown Stewed Chicken

I had dinner with some friends last month and we started to chat about food. They asked what was my favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner foods. Without hesitation, I told them dasheen, boiled green bananas, dumplings and brown stewed chicken for breakfast. I cooked it the next day, so here is the recipe for you to try. Jess and Violeta, this one is also for you ladies.

Ingredients

1lb Chicken Thighs, chopped

1/2 Green Bell Pepper

1/2 Onions

2 Carrots(chopped)

1 Large Potato (diced)

1 Cap Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

1 Packet of Chicken Bouillon

1 Tsp Onion Salt

1Tbsp Browning Sauce

1Tbsp Brown Sugar

Olive Oil

4 Stalks Scallion 

Thyme

Flour

Green Cooking Bananas

Dasheen

Salt

Method

Season meat with chicken bouillon, onion salt, pepper,onion, garlic garlic, scallion and thyme and let marinate for at least an hour. Add browning sauce (picture below) and stir to distribute evenly over the meat. Transfer seasoned meat to heated olive oil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add carrots, potato, 1 cup of water and sugar and let cook for 25-30 minutes on medium heat. Stir half way to ensure that the meat cooks evenly. 

In a separate pan, bring salted water to boil. Peel dasheen (picture below), banana and make a dough with flour, salt and water and boil all 3 three for 20 minutes. 

Cabbage, Turkey and Gnocchi Soup

Talk about delicious, filling and easy? We make a cabbage dish in Jamaica at least once a week. If not steamed for a weekend breakfast, it can be found mid week next to corned beef and rice, or freshly shredded on Sundays for a colorful coleslaw.

Ingredients:

1 Medium Cabbage

1Lb Ground Turkey 

1/2Lb Frozen or Fresh Gnocchi 

1 Can of any White Beans

1 Medium Onion (chopped)

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

Olive Oil

2 Cans of Chicken Stock

1 1/2 Quarts Water

1 Envelop of Powdered Chicken Bouillion 

1 Cap of Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

Crushed Red Pepper

Method:

Heat oil in a large deep pan. Sautée onion and garlic and add ground turkey. Season meat with TS Seasoned Salt and cook until meat starts to get brown. Add water, stock, chicken bouillon packet, and beans. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add gnocchi and cabbage, and stir. Season with pepper and more salt if needed. Cook for another 12-15 minutes or until the gnocchi rise to the top. Serve up this delicious goodness with your favorite cheese sprinkled on top. I used Swiss and Parmesan cheese and garnished with flat leave parsley!

Variations

 Use ground pork or chicken instead of turkey if you are not a fan of turkey.  Also, if you do not have Tastefully Simple Seasonings, you can use a packet of chicken noodle soup to add salt and flavor. You can buy TS products here if you'd like to try some unbelievably tasty products: www.shopgourmetmeals.com

BNW~

Loaded Barley Pilaf

Want a quick and easy to prepare alternative to rice or pasta? Look no further.... Give this barley dish a try!

 Ingredients

1 Cup Barley

3 Cups of Chicken Stock or water with powdered boullion 

2 Stalks of Celery

1/2 Cup Frozen Mixed Veggies

Frozen Chopped Onion (Use according to your preference, I used about 1/4 cup)

1 Tbsp of Minced Garlic

2 Tbsp of Butter

1 Tbsp of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

 Fresh Parsley

Method:

Cook barley in heated chicken stock until tender, about 30-35 minutes. I don't like it soggy so I cook it with hopes of getting a nice little bite in the end. While barley is being cooked, melt butter in the olive oil in deep pan. Add onion and sweat until it is translucent. Add celery, garlic and mixed veggies and cook for about 3 minutes. Transfer the cooked barley to the vegetables season to taste and simmer for another 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley and enjoy. 

This is so good. I tend to love food with varying textures and this dish certainly did it for me. It goes really well with beef or chicken stew. Enjoy :)

BNW~

 

West Indian Chicken Biryani

Oh yes, we are quite diverse with our cuisine in the Caribbean. A lot of people do not know about the melting pot that we have going on in the west indies. There are a lot Indians, Latinos, Middle Easterners and Chinese in our neck of the woods. So, here's to our rich culture of delicious foods, a yummy Chicken Biryani!

Ingredients
2lbs of Bone in Chicken Thighs
1 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Seasoning Salt, Garlic Garlic, Onion Onion
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Powered Ginger
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1  Cup Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Green Bell Pepper
2 Chopped Plum Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
1lb Uncle Ben Parboiled Rice (this is traditionally made with basmati rice but I LOVED it with the parboiled rice so much that I am willing to break the rule, in public)
1/2 Cup Of Wild Rice
National Brand Chicken Biryani Seasoning Mix
6 oz Unsweetened Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Chicken Stock ( I used water and chicken bouillon)
Fresh Mint

Method

Chicken and Sauce
Season chicken with Tastefully Simple seasonings, paprika, and ginger and let marinate for at least for an hour. Heat olive oil, cook chicken thoroughly and set aside. In the same pan, sautee peppers, onion and tomatoes until they are tender. Add the yogurt, crushed red peppers, chicken biryani seasoning (cumin, cardamon, tumeric, coriander, saffron, caraway seeds etc.) to the veggies and stir. Add chicken to this deliciousness and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Rice
Cook rice according to the instruction on the bag. Add the wild rice, which will need an additional 2 cups of water. Season with salt after you've tasted the stock. Remove from heat 5 minutes before the rice is cooked.

Complete dish
In a deep pan, add rice and then chicken, another layer of rice and top with more of the chicken and sauce. Add five drops of red food color, stir thoroughly to ensure that the rice and meat are evenly mixed in. Cover and finish the cooking process, should be 5-10 minutes. With the amount of olive oil in this recipe, no need to worry about burning, but don't go too far, remember everything was already cooked. So....yeah, about that dish, DONE! Serve rice with one piece of chicken and garnish with fresh mint.

I need comments for this one, people! I literally ate this meal for an entire week, so delicious. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks

BNW~

Best Coleslaw Ever

I made this coleslaw for an oxtail dinner i put some love in recently. It's very easy and pretty much the best I've ever tasted (biased?). Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients:

1/2 Cabbage

1/2 Cup of Shredded Carrots

2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

2 Tbsp Raisins

2 Tbsp Blueberry Infused Craisins

Salt and pepper

Garnish-Fresh Parsley and Roasted Pecans and Craisins

Method:

Shred cabbage thinly and add carrots. Mix in all of the ingredients except the garnish. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, sprinkle with garnish and serve. I did not serve mine with the nuts because I forgot them and had already started dinner service. You can also mix with purple cabbage if you have want to make it more colorful. Enjoy :)

BNW~

Bourbon Pork Chops

So if you've been checking out all of my posts you'll see that I'm a hardcore carnivore who loves veggies, too. This pork, I'm telling you , it's absolutely amazing. The dinner also has a serving of spinach and herb scalloped potatoes and purple kale and mushroom.

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Pork Chops

1/2 Apple

Tastefully Simple Seasoning Salt

Pepper

1/4 Cup of Tastefully Simple Bourbon Sauce

Olive Oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season the pork with seasoning salt and pepper. Let marinate for at least an hour and then brown in olive oil for about 4 minutes on each side. I used a thick piece of meat so adjust if you use a thinner cut. Brush pork with bourbon sauce and bake for 20 minutes. Slice apples and keep handy. Remove pork from oven and add more sauce and slices of apples, bake for another 15 minutes. Enjoy your delicious meal. 

You can get the bourbon sauce and seasoning salt here: www.shopgourmetmeals.com

BNW~

Coconut Curried Shrimp

My new addiction! I decided to buy whole shrimp to cook some Jamaican style seafood one night. This kinda got out of hand and now I buy a pound of whole shrimp every week. So easy, and delicious. Plus no carbs. 

Ingredients:

1lb Whole Shrimp with Shell On

2 Cups of Water

1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper (haberno or your favorite hot pepper)

1 Tbsp Curry Powder

2 Tbsp Coconut Butter

Adobo Seasoning

Method:

Boil shrimp with adobo seasoning for about 3 minutes. Reduce water to about 1/4 cup and add curry powder, pepper and coconut butter. Cool for another 5 minutes and remove from heat. Omg, enjoy this bowl of goodness, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. So good. 

Kielbasa, Pasta and Dill Veggies

Quick Pasta and Kielbasa dish ready in no time. Fresh Veggies made it that much tastier.

Ingredients:
1lb Kielbasa
1/2 Box of your favorite pasta
1 Summer Squash
1/4lb Mushroom
Bell Pepper
Fresh Dill
Tastefully Simple Onion Onion
Olive Oil

Method:
Boil pasta al dente and drain. Slice and brown sausage in olive oil and set aside.  Sautee mushroom, summer squash and pepper in the oil left over from the sausage. Add sausage, pasta and some freshly chopped dill. Season with onion onion, stir and cover for 2 minutes. Uhm, that's it! Dinner is ready, enjoy.

A Jamaican's Gumbo

On the Super Bowl Sunday, I made this Crockpot melting pot. The ingredients played so well together, they metaphorically thanked me. I started out by browning some of the ingredients on the stove top first and then I transferred everything to the Crockpot, put the lid on and walked away.

Ingredients:
1-1.5lbs Chicken Thighs
1lb Large Shrimp
1 lb Smoked Kielbasa Sausage (Sliced)
Macaroni
1 Cup of Mushroom
1/3 Cup of Flour
1/3 Cup of Oil
2 Tsp of Grace Jerk Sauce
Green Bell Pepper
1 Cup Chopped Okra
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Cap full of Tastefully Simple Onion Onion
16 oz Chicken Stock



Method:
Dice and season chicken with jerk sauce and let marinate for two hours or overnight. Turn Crockpot to high and add 3 cups of chicken stock to simmer. Pour 1/2 of the oil in a sauce pan add sausage and brown for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove sausage from pan, brown chicken and set aside. Pour remaining oil in sauce pan, add flour and cook for 4 minutes. Slowly thin the roux with one cup of chicken stock. Pour mixture into the Crockpot along with onion, garlic, chicken, sausage, pepper and okra. Cook for 5 hours on high. Add shrimp and macaroni and cook for an additional hour.

This is amazing over Jasmine rice. The jerk sauce on the chicken will give you the right amount of heat along with a bold earthy flavor. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

BNW~

Easy to Serve 3 Meat Meatloaf

I got a recipe from one of my coworkers to make cupcake sized meatloaves, I loved it. Here's my twist on it.

Ingredients
1/2 lb Ground Pork
1/2 lb Ground Chicken
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Egg
1Cup Bread Crumbs
1 Cup of Fancy Blend Cheese
4 Stalks of Scallion
Fresh Thyme Sprigs
Soy Sauce
1 Small Onion
1/4 Bell Pepper
1 Packet of Chicken Bouillon
1/2 Cup Ketchup
1/2 Cup BBQ sauce

Method
Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together except ketchup and BBQ sauce. Grease muffin pan(s) and fill them 3/4 way with the mixture. Mix ketchup and BBQ sauce pour on top. Leave about 1/4 cup to brush over the loaves in the final 10 minutes.
Cook for 40 minutes. 30mins straight and then 10mins with the remaining glaze.

Credits to Kelly L for the original recipe. Enjoy.


BNW~

Homemade Hickory Smoked BBQ Ribs

I made this a few months ago, and will be making it again soon. Super easy, so lets get right to it.

Ingredients
2lbs Country Style Pork Ribs ( these have more meat on them)
Vinegar to rinse meat
BBQ sauce
1-2 tsp Liquid Smoke
5 Stalks of Sage
Garlic
Soy Sauce
Powdered seasonings (onion, pepper, cayenne, Adobo)
Water
Brown sugar


Method
Rinse pork with vinegar and rub with liquid smoke. Season with powdered seasonings, and soy sauce and let marinate for at least an hour.
Brown each piece of meat and added chopped sage and garlic. Cover with tin foil and bake for 1.5 hours at 375 degrees.
Sauce- add soy  and water to BBQ sauce and pour over the ribs after they've cooked for an hour and a half. Cook for another 30-45 minutes. Boil water and brown sugar to glaze pork in the last 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy with some mashed potatoes.

BNW~

Mahi Mahi with Mandarin and Stone Ground Mustard

Starting the year with seafood. Give this yummy recipe a try.

Ingredients
1 1/2lb Mahi Mahi
Garlic Salt
Pepper
1 Mandarin
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Minced Garlic
2 Tbsp of Stone Grain Mustard

Method:
Season mahi mahi with salt and pepper and bake for 5 minutes on each side. Start your glaze with the juice of a mandarin or orange, honey, garlic and stone grain mustard. Cook until the glaze start to thicken and pour over the cooked mahi mahi for baked for an additional 5 minutes over the fish. I saved some of the glaze for a final topping, and to give the fish some sauce.

 The veggies (sweet potatoes, green beans and mushrooms) were roasted in sea salt and coconut oil. Yummm..