Jamaican Jerk Chicken Patties + Minestrone

Tonight we had a delightful combination of Jamaica and Italy. I know I know, what a combo right, but both items blended so well together! This morning I started off by making my dough for my Jamaican Chicken Patties and within minutes I whipped up a pot of comforting minestrone soup. This happens to be one of my favorite soups to prepare and eat, as it is super easy and super tasty.

For the chicken patties I pretty much followed Emerils recipe that I found on the Food Network, although I made several adjustments and additions to the filling, as seen below the pic!



My Alterations To Emerils Jamaican Meat Patties:

1. Instead of ground beef, I used Ground Chicken

2. I only used 3 cloves of garlic

3. Cumin seeds instead of cumin powder

4. I added in a bit of the following spices: cinnamon, coriander, paprika, salt, and Jamaican jerk spice blend.

5. Instead of beef broth, I used low sodium chicken broth

6. I did not use any Jamaican rum

7. Towards the end I added in 1 T. of flour and a little bit of brown sugar

My pot of minestrone took minutes to prepare, thanks to some left over cabbage! I did not worry about exact measurements as I was preparing for this, so I will only be able to share with you the seasonings that I used, but it's a super easy soup to make and you can taste and add to as you go to enhance it to your liking. See recipe below pic!



Minestrone Soup

Ingredients
1lb 12 oz Can of Whole Tomatoes
2 C. Cooked & Seasoned Cabbage (Again I used leftover cabbage which I seasoned with: salt, sugar, pepper, a dash of hot sauce, and sometimes smoked turkey wings. Cook until tender, but not mushy)
1 1/2 C. Chicken Broth (you can also use water and one chicken bouillon cube)
15 oz Can of Organic Cannellini or Northern Beans
Thyme
Black Pepper
Salt
Paprika
Worcestershire Sauce
Thinly Sliced Zucchini
Cooked Macaroni Noodles (boiled in salt water)

Directions: Pour your tomatoes into a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Add in your beans, zucchini, and cabbage. Now stir in your seasonings. Pour your broth into the pot and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat. Stir in your cooked noodles. Scoop soup into your bowls and garnish with shredded mozzarella on top!

General Tso's Chicken & Shrimp {sweet + spice}

A few weeks ago I made some Orange Chicken(recipe coming soon) and my husband thought it was great and went a step further to request some General Tso's Chicken. So sure enough tonight I gave the General a try. I must say, just like the orange chicken, it was quite easy and super quick to prepare. The recipe below calls for 3 chile peppers and crushed red pepper, but feel free to use only one chile and leave out the crushed red pepper if you prefer less heat. For a sweeter sauce, just add a bit more sugar or honey and if your prefer less breading, simply use less flour/cornstarch mixture!

My husband likes his with white rice, but I prefer mine with some type of Asian noodle, and in this case, chow mein noodles. I served this along with steamed green beans seasoned with: fresh garlic, fresh ginger, olive oil, soy sauce, and brown sugar!





General Tso's Chicken & Shrimp
serves 4

Ingredients
2 Large Chicken Breasts, washed, cleaned, and cut into chunks
1/2 Lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 Dried Chile Peppers, whole & pierced
3 Eggs, beaten and placed in a medium bowl
1/2 C. Cornstarch
1/2 C. All Purpose Flour + 2T. for sauce
6 T. Vinegar
8 T. White Wine
6 T. Sugar
12 T. Soy Sauce
1 Small Bell Pepper, cut into large chunks
1 Small Yellow Onion, cut into large chunks
Salt
Black pepper
Ground Chile Pepper
1 Clove of Garlic, whole
Crushed Red Pepper - optional
2 T. Olive Oil
Peanut or Vegetable Oil - for frying
Green Onions- for garnish

Directions: Mix your flour and cornstarch along with a bit of salt in a large bowl. Season your chicken and shrimp with salt, black pepper, and your ground chile pepper. Place your diced chicken and shrimp into your bowl with the beaten eggs. Then place your meat into your flour and cornstarch mixture, being sure to let any excess egg mixture drip off. Using a large spoon, coat your meat with your flour/starch mixture. Heat your vegetable/peanut oil on medium heat, once hot, proceed to fry your chicken and shrimp. Place on a paper towel to drain extra oil.

Now for the sauce: Place your olive oil, dried chiles, bellpepper, garlic, and onion, into a small saucepan and saute for about 3 minutes or so. Reduce your heat. Now pour in your vinegar, wine, sugar, soy sauce, and if using it, your desired amount of crushed pepper. Bring to a simmer and GRADUALLY add in your 2 tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly. Once thickened, mix in your chicken and shrimp until evenly coated. Turn Heat off. Serve over jasmine rice or chow mein noodles. Garnish with fresh green onions.

Chicken Filo!

Tonight we had a very simple and fresh dinner that consisted of chicken breast topped with fresh wilted spinach, fresh roma tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella with a garden salad on the side. Basically it is similar to spanakopitas or even beef wellington, but I used mozzarella instead of feta and I wrapped the whole chicken breast, instead of dicing it up. You can find the recipe below, but you really don't need one, as it is quite easy to prepare!



Chicken Filo
Serves 4

Ingredients
3 T Butter - melted
1 T. Olive Oil plus more for cooking chicken
4 Large Chicken Breast - washed & trimmed of fat
1 Bunch of Fresh Spinach - washed
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 Roma Tomatoes
Salt
Garlic Powder
Fresh Black pepper
Dried or Fresh Basil
Spicy Brown Mustard
Honey
Fresh Mozzarella
Finely Grated Parmesan
Filo Dough (16 sheets)
Pastry Brush

Directions: Season your chicken with salt, garlic powder, pepper, basil. and drizzle with olive oil. Heat your non-stick pan on medium with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook chicken until done, flipping often, as well as keeping the lid on to ensure plenty of plumpness and "juicyness"! Turn skillet off and set chicken aside.

Take your bunch of spinach and roughly chop them up. Throw them in a non-stick pan along with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and garlic and let them wilt a bit. immediately remove your spinach from the pan and place in a mesh strainer to drain excess water. Set aside.

Place the one tablespoon of olive oil into your butter and stir together. take your pastry brush and butter your first filo sheet with your butter and oil. Be sure not to over saturate the filo as it is VERY delicate. Now take another sheet of filo and place it on top of the first. Butter and oil this sheet. Continue doing this until you have four filo sheets. Butter and oil the top sheet.

Take your chicken breast and place it towards the edge of the filo sheets. using your pastry brush generously brush your spicy mustard on top of the chicken. Now place a few sliced tomatoes on top, then your a bit of spinach, and top it off with mozzarella. Gently wrap your chicken and veggies as you would a burrito until you reach the end. gently butter and oil the tops and tuck in the side edges. drizzle with honey and place onto your non-stick baking sheet. Repeat this process with the rest of your chicken breast. Bake on 350 degrees until crisp and lightly golden brown. Sprinkle with finely grated parmesan!

Tip The Cook: you can serve these up with your favorite marinara sauce or a side of spicy mustard.

Stuffed Poblanos

This Mexican inspired dish is packed with flavor and sweet heat! I am quite new to cooking with peppers and I must say that I am borderline addicted to roasted poblanos! They are beyond delicious when de-seeded, roasted with olive oil and with the skinned peeled. I recently roasted some poblanos and stuffed them with the most tasty shredded chicken. Here is what I did:

Stuffed Poblanos

Shredded Chicken
2-3 Lrg. Chicken Breasts
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Turmeric
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
1/3 C Green Onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. Yellow Bellpepper, chopped
1 Tbsp. Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp.Orange Bellpeppers, chopped
1 C. Fresh Cilantro
1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, minced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Sour Cream

Directions: Wash and season your chicken with spices. Cook in a 350 degree oven until done. Once cooled shred chicken apart with your fingers. Add bellpeppers, cilantro, ginger, garlic, onions, nectar, and lemon juice.

In a large saucepan heat butter and Olive Oil on low. Sautee chicken and veggies on low for about 5 minutes. Add sour cream and stir. Pour your mixture into a large bowl and let marinate for 20 minutes.


Stuffed Poblano Peppers
4-5 Poblano Peppers
Olive Oil
Agave Nectar

Directions: While your chicken marinates, rub your poblanos down with olive oil and roast until blackened/blistering in a 400 degree oven. Let cool, slice down the tops of your pepper and de-seed, and peel off skin. Peppers should lay flat. Lightly brush the inside of your peppers with a bit of agave nectar.

Plating: Place some shredded lettuce down. Lay open your pepper on top. place a generous amount of shredded chicken on one side of the pepper and fold the side of the pepper over the chicken. Top with sour cream, diced roma tomatoes, and shredded cheese. Drizzle agave nectar on top. Serve with sour cream, chips,salsa, and roasted pineapple!

Eastern Inspired "Rotis"

This is one of my favorite dishes. It's hearty, flavorful, and aromatic! It's inspired by the rotis you might find in any East Indian cafe, but with my own twist! It's actually sort of a fusion of rotis and gyros to be exact. I use the fry bread recipe to hold it all together. FYI: This is absolutely divine with the Indian Summer Mint Julep!



North African Inspired Chicken
1/2 lb. Chicken Breasts or 3 lrg. Chicken Breasts
1 tsp. Salt
3 Tbsp. Plain Nonfat Yogurt
1 Tbsp. Chopped Mint
1/4 tsp. Chili Powder
1/4 tsp. Turmeric
1/4 tsp. Coriander
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 C. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. Honey
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Directions: After cleaning your chicken breasts , cut them into large chunks. Place the chicken in a large bowl and with the tip of your knife poke small holes into your pieces..this will help keep your chicken tender. Now add all of your seasoning including the yogurt. Stir together so that the marinade covers all of the chicken. Pour onto a baking sheet, spreading the chicken apart so that they do not stick to each other. Bake in a 350 degree oven until done.

Lentils
1/2 C. Dry Lentils, washed
1/2 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Chicken Bouillon Cube
2 1/2 C. Water

Directions: Boil until lentils are firm and tender. Do not overcook or your lentils will turn too mashed lentils..lol.

Dill Sauce
2 Tbsp. Plain Nonfat Yogurt
3 Tbsp. Sour Cream
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Yellow Curry Powder
1 tsp. Dill Weed
1 tsp. Honey

Directions: Mix all of your ingredients together and you're done!

Curried Onions
You can make this as spicy or as mild as you like by adding more or less red curry paste.

1/2 White Onion
Red Curry Paste
Honey
Olive Oil

Directions: Finely chop your onions. add your desired amount of curry paste and a drizzle of honey and olive oil. Stir until well combines.

Garnish
Romaine Lettuce
Cilantro
Fresh Spinach
Roma Tomato

Plating: Place your fry bread flat onto your plate. Shred your lettuce, cilantro, and spinach leaves all together and place along the center of your bread, as if you were making a taco. Drizzle a bit of your dill sauce on top. Now add your lentils, then your chicken. Top with dill sauce, curried onions, and diced roma tomatoes. Fold to eat and taste the flavors!