IFN: Jamaican Me Crazy!

Jamaican night was fantabulous! The night before we made this fantastic jerk chicken marinade... I had two habanero peppers and a couple jalepenos... The Man threw in another habanero... it was intense.

So, we had Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Cabbage Salad, Rice and Peas (beans), and Fried Plantains.

Here are the recipes. The jerk chicken and plantains were the best! We have made both multiple times since the original IFN!

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

1 big bunch of green onions 
2 T soy sauce 
2 T oil 
1 T salt
Juice of 1 lime
1 T fresh thyme
1 T allspice 
3 Habanero peppers (to taste for you)
2 Jalepeno peppers
1 thumb sized knuckle of ginger (don't bother peeling)
3 cloves of garlic
 1/2 a small onion 
2-3 T of brown sugar

Cooking Instructions: Mix all ingredients in a mixer until pureed. Don't add extra water, it will be plenty juicy.


Dump over chicken and marinate over night.

We baked our chicken, but grilling or smoking it would do just as well. You can also baste it while cooking with sauce you set aside before marinating.

Jamaican Rice and Peas
(this makes a ton)

3 cups of rice
1 cup or can of fresh red peas (beans)
5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 uncut habanero or jalepeno pepper
3 Scallions
1 tin (or one cup) of coconut milk
1 t of salt
1 t of black pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
7 c. water

Add garlic to boiling water (7 cups).
Add milk, rice, salt, pepper, and thyme.
Add beans.
Crust scallions and add. Also add pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and place lid on pan.
Cook about 40 minutes or until rice is done.

Cabbage Salad
(also makes a lot)

1 Green cabbage
4 medium Carrot
6 Stalks Celery
1 Cucumber
½ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Vinegar
½ Cup Oil
1 Cup boiling water

Slice cabbage into thin strips
Slice carrot into thin slices
Slice celery in to thin strips crossway.
Slice cucumber into thin strips
Place all ingredients in to a container
Pour the boiling water in the container
Cover the container for 20 minutes   
Drain the liquid
Serve at room temperature


Fried Plantains 
(these taste pretty much like fries)
See recipe here.

IFN: Bahrain

Okay. So either I'm not looking in the right place... or Arabian/Middle Eastern food is pretty similar. They all use pretty much the same spices, and a lot of rice and some tomatoes. But at any rate, it tasted pretty good, and we especially liked the sweet rice.

So... Bahrain is a little island country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. We looked it up. Haha.

We essentially had two things, and they pretty much looked the same. Though they were very different in taste. Machboos and Muhammar.

This is the Chicken Machboos. It's a savory dish with a lot of spices in it.

This is the sweet rice Muhammar. Yum!

Essentially we ate rice with a bit of chicken and veggies for this meal, but it was incredibly filling and we had a ton of leftovers. (They're also pretty much one-pot-wonders, which is a plus.)

Enjoy!

Chicken Machboos
serves 4

2 c. water
1 1/2 c. basmati rice
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 chicken breasts
2 onions, finely chopped
coriander (fresh chopped, or powdered)
hot pepper
cinnamon
paprika
tumeric
cloves
cayenne
cardamom powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 slice gingerroot, minced
2 T. butter
1/8 c. lemon juice
3 T. oil
3 t. salt

Heat the water. While heating, mix together paprika, tumeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cayenne. salt, and pepper. Rub onto chicken.

Heat oil and fry onions, garlic, and ginger until golden brown. Add your favorite hot pepper. Add chicken and brown. Sprinkle more cinnamon and the remaining mixed spices. Cook on medium for about 3 minutes, turning often.

Add tomatoes, turn ingredients, and cook for 3 more minutes. Sprinkle additional salt on top of everything and pour water on top while it is still hot.

Cover the pan and let it cook for about 1 hour on medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked. Add coriander about 5 minutes before you remove chicken from the stock pan. While the chicken is cooking, wash the rice in cold water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot, place in pan, brush with oil, and sprinkle more cinnamon on top. Place in oven at 325 degrees and allow chicken to become golden brown.

Add rice to the stock pot. Stir and cook at low heat until the rice absorbs the stock and is almost done. Sprinkle the lemon juice on top, and place butter pieces. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 more minutes.


Heap rice in serving dish and top with chicken.

Sweet Rice Muhammar
serves 4

2 c. basmati rice
1/4 t. saffron
1/4 t. cloves
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
 2 T. water

Soak together saffron, cloves, and cinnamon in water.

Boil 6 c. of water and add rice. Boil to half cooked (about 8 minutes) and drain.

Stir sugar throughout. Add butter and stir. Pour spices on top and stir.

Cook on very low heat for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to serving platter. Top with more melted butter.

Enjoy!

Greek-a-licious

This is the perfect tangy meal as we're getting to summer (and grilling season!). Here's a dinner combo you'll love if you like Greek food! Green Marinated Chicken (I baked my chicken since it was rainy and freezing when I made this) and Tzatziki Israeli Couscous!

So, just so you know, there are different kinds of couscous. The one you are probably most familiar with traditional couscous which are essentially tiny granules of durum wheat and have a light, fluffy consistency. The other kind of couscous is called Israeli. It is closer to a pasta. It's definitely chewier than traditional couscous. I used the latter kind in this recipe, although you could try it with something else!

 

Greek Marinated Chicken
1-2 large chicken breasts
3/4 c. plain yogurt (I used whole milk)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
½ tablespoon oregano
1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped (I used curly, but I think I would recommend Italian for flavor)

Preheat oven to 375 (unless grilling). Combine the yogurt, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Zest the lemon into the mix, then cut and squeeze in the juice from the lemon. Stir until combined. Add parsley and stir.

Cut chicken breasts into slices (I used one large breast and got seven smaller pieces) and place in marinade. Stir to cover. Place in refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

If baking, place chicken pieces in casserole dish and bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden brown on top. If desired, you can use chicken pieces with skin as well.

Tzatziki Couscous
1 ½-2 cups Israeli Couscous (or acini de pepe pasta or regular couscous)
½ cucumber, diced to taste (I like my pieces small and you can add more too)
½ c. fresh parsley, chopped (I used curly, I would recommend Italian)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (or sub garlic powder)
½ teaspoon salt
Fresh pepper, to taste
½ c. plain yogurt
1 lemon
Dill, if desired (I didn’t use any)

Cook your couscous in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes until soft (like pasta). Combine other ingredients in a bowl. Drain couscous in a mesh strainer and chill with cold water. Allow to drain. Add to other ingredients. Stir an chill (or can be served at room temperature if desired).

Requested Recipes

Okay, so this isn't an international food night post, but I've had requests for a couple of my recipes, so here's a smattering of them:

Green Goop Pasta*

 

Note: I usually make stuff up, so this is an estimation of what I do...
serves 4-6 (and probably could serve more...)

2-3 medium ripe avocado

½ c cilantro leaves, chopped

1 bunch spinach

1 red pepper

2 T lime juice

1-2 green chilies (jalapeno or serrano)

Garlic cloves (generous to taste, at least 3 cloves)

2 T olive oil

Basil

4 T Parmesan, grated

Salt and pepper

1-2 lb. pasta

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain pasta and chickpeas.

Put a bit of oil in pan and sauté red pepper and then add remaining spinach (after sauce is made) to wilt. Add pasta and chickpeas. Add sauce (to taste, can save some sauce for later). Toss to coat. Garnish with red pepper flakes and/or parmesan (sometimes I garnish with mozzarella if I have it).

Sauce:
Place avocados (skinned and pitted) into blender. Add cilantro, 1-2 c. spinach, garlic, lime juice, chili, parmesan, oil, salt, and pepper. Add 1-2 T. water and blend until smooth.

*We tried this with rice instead of pasta and just had a bowl of the pepper, wilted spinach, and beans on the side in addition to the sauce (instead of mixed all together), and it was fantastic!

Carolina Slaw
1 large head of cabbage, finely shredded
1 medium bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1 medium sweet onions, finely chopped (optional)
2 carrots, grated
or
Pick up a bag of cole slaw mix :)

Dressing:
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
1 cup cider vinegar
Spices to taste (garlic, salt, pepper)

Put veggie mix in large bowl. Heat up dressing ingredients over medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Pour over veggies and mix. Chill until cold.

Tropical Fruit Spring Rolls

Rice wrappers (they sell them at grocery stores in the Asian food section... they are circular and hard... about 8 inches in diameter)
Fruit!
I used the following (putting the last three ingredients all together in a bowl):

• 1 mango (cut into strips)
• 1/2 lb strawberries (chopped)
• 3 kiwi chopped
• 2 bananas (chopped)

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 c. honey
2 t. lime juice
1/4 t. vanilla extract

So the rice wrappers can be a bit tricky... and I've used them quite a bit and still don't have the technique down perfectly, but here's what I do...

Get a frying pan that will fit one rice wrapper and fill with water. Set burner on lowest setting. Dip wrapper in until it becomes flexible. Pull out of the water and place on a plate. Place mango sticks about 1 inch from the bottom. Put about a tablespoon of the rest of the fruit. Pull the bottom of the wrapper up and tuck under the fruit. Pull the sides in and roll up. The wrapper should stick to itself and seal. Repeat until fruit is gone. Place a damp paper towel over them if you're not going to eat immediately.

Add all sauce ingredients and heat up for about 30 seconds. Dip and enjoy!