SHRIMP CAULIFLOWER FRIED RICE

Ingredients

• 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 tsp chinese seasoning salt (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1 head cauliflower riced or grated to resemble rice
• 1 medium onion diced
• 5 scallions diced whites and greens separated
• 2 cups peas and carrots (thawed)
• 2 cloves garlic grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
• ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Heat a large, deep pan or wok over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Season shrimp with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper before adding to the hot pan.
2. Cook shrimp in an even layer, turning once, until pink (about 90 seconds per side.) Remove cooked shrimp from the pan and set aside.
3. While shrimp is cooking, rice the cauliflower using a food processor, blender or a cheese grater; set aside.
4. Whisk together eggs and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Spray pan with more cooking spray then reduce heat to medium. Pour eggs into the pan and cook, stirring frequently, 1-2 minutes. Remove cooked eggs and place in the bowl with reserved shrimp; set aside.
5. Add diced onion, scallion whites, carrots, peas, garlic, and ginger to the pan and cook until soft and tender, stirring frequently. This should take 4-5 minutes.
6. When veggies are cooked through, add cauliflower, soy sauce and rice vinegar to the pan. Stir well to combine then walk away for a few minutes so that the cauliflower can start to cook and create a nice crust. Come back, stir it around then walk away again. The flavor comes from letting the cauliflower brown a bit and become crispy. This process may take up to 10 minutes. It’s worth the wait!
7. Add cooked shrimp and egg back to the pan and cook until warmed through. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil and garnish with scallion greens and Sriracha to serve.

   

ALFREDO SAUCE

I’m backkkkk!!! Sorry I’ve been away so long, but life sometimes gets in the way. I’ve missed my followers and I’m excited to get back into all things food! So let’s start with this yummy Alfredo Sauce recipe I found today on food.com, I’ve adjusted it to suit my taste. You have to try this super creamy sauce soon! Pair it with some blackened or spicy grilled chicken or shrimp and you’re golden!

INGREDIENTS
16 ounces linguine
4 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 1⁄2 pints heavy cream
1⁄2 cup butter
3 tablespoons cream cheese
1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

SAUCE:.
1. Put butter in large saucepan on medium heat, add chopped garlic and cook for about 30 secs, add cream cheese, let melt, stir in 1 pint of heavy cream.
2. Let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Slowly stir in the parmesan cheese, about 1/4 cup at a time.
4. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper if desired. Simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently.
5. If sauce seems to be really thick then slowly stir in the rest of heavy cream.
6. Toss pasta with sauce, garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese

NOTE : I love using fresh broccoli, so I sautéed about 4 cups of broccoli in a little butter with 4 cloves chopped garlic, red pepper flakes and a little sea salt. Then I added it to the sauce.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Season’s greetings to all! Sorry for my absence but I’ve been totally swamped! So much has happened recently and now my mom is visiting with my family and we’ve been having a great time! But my most favorite thing is cooking with her! I just pulled out my recipes to get ready for the big day and I thought I should share my favorite spicy turkey  recipe.

I’ve collaborated with MyFridgeFood and here’s the link with detailed instructions and pics! Cajun Spicy Turkey

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I can’t wait to see what you guys cook up wherever you are! 🍗🍗🍗

BASIL AND BABY SPINACH PESTO

For a long time I caught myself in a food rut, I would make the same thing every other week and even though the food tasted good we were all getting a little bored. If I left it up to my 4 year old, he would eat pizza every night and not complain * then again, who would?!*. So I decided to try one new recipe every week to break up the monotony.

This week I though I would try this Basil Pesto recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I made a couple of changes because my poor little basil plant looked  a bit naked after I picked a cup’s worth of leaves 😀

I mixed the pesto with penne and grilled some chicken breasts, my son made a salad and we had a quick and easy dinner! It was very tasty and both kids thought it was so cool to eat alien green pasta 😀

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts (i used toasted walnuts)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves roasted garlic
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Blend the basil, spinach, pine nuts, cheese, and garlic together in a food processor or blender. Pour oil in slowly while still mixing (or a little at a time, then mix, then more oil, then mix again, etc). Scrape down the sides, then add lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse until everything is blended together and relatively smooth. Taste and add more salt/pepper if desired.

I’m bringing this dish to Fiesta Friday hosted by  Dini @ Giramuk’s Kitchen and Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau 

JERK PORK

I absolutely love Jamaican food, but jerk pork is one of my favorites, it’s so spicy, savory and juicy and mouth watering and you get the point! Pair this up with some rice and peas and salsa and fried plantains and a couple festivals *a sweet fried dough* and BAM! You’re an islander ha!

The best part is how easy it is to make! My marinade of choice is Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning. I let my pork marinate for a day or more, and then I toss it in the oven at 350 F for 35 mins, and then move the pork to the grill over medium low heat. Baste with your favorite BBQ sauce and let the meat slowly cook and the sauce to caramelize beautifully. Let cool, then cut and serve.

INGREDIENTS

• Country style pork ribs ( you can use chops too)
• Jerk seasoning marinade *I prefer Walkerswood hot and spicy*
• Lime juice

DIRECTIONS

• Wash the pork with lime juice.
• Add 1-2 ozs of marinade  per pound of pork.*I love Walkerswood jerk marinade but there are other brands*
• Massage marinade into meat. *please wear gloves if you don’t want your hands to be on fire*
• Let pork marinate for at least 2 hours or over night for intense heat and flavor.
• Bake pork at 350F for 30 mins. Reserve about 1/4 cup of drippings.
• Add the drippings to 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce and reduce.
• Put pork on grill over medium to low heat and baste with your sauce.
• Cook until finished!

DHAL

Dhal, a staple in Trinidadian cooking. We make this dish alongside curries or to be eaten alone like a soup or with roti *flat bread*. It’s healthy, flavorful and filling.

So funny story, when I was a teenager I was a bit rebellious *What? Really?! No way!*… I know, hard to believe right!? Anyway, my mom was forcing me to learn how to cook and I wanted no part of it, so I was throwing a hissy fit about cooking dhal and deliberately doing it wrong so she would just get mad at me and shoo me away. Well….she didn’t and I got a pot spoon thrown at me and she made me count each grain of dhal *split peas* in the package! Ever since then I’ve hated dhal and refused to make it! *Yeah! I’ll show her!!*

Years later, I’m pregnant and craving dhal and I didn’t know how to make it! According to Caribbean superstition, when you get pregnancy cravings and you don’t satisfy it, your child will be born with a birthmark shaped like what you were craving! And I was not about to have a child with a dhal birthmark on his head! 😁

Luckily my sister Giselle was visiting me and she is the best dhal maker I know *Yeah! Take that mom!!*, so I paid close attention and wrote down this recipe. I like my dhal not too thick and not too runny, just in the middle.

RECIPE
1 cup yellow split peas
2 1/2 cups water
7 grains garlic
1/2 onion chopped (medium)
1/2 habanero pepper ( keep whole if you want the flavor and not the heat)
1/4 tsp saffron powder
2 pimento peppers finely chopped (or you can use jalapeños)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp whole geera (cumin)

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak split peas for a couple hours and drain.
2. Boil 2 1/2 cups of water and then add the peas.
3. Add the 5 garlic grains, onion, peppers and saffron powder.
4. Let boil until peas are very soft and tender.
5. In a small pan, heat oil and add 2 grains garlic and geera, let it brown over low heat.When the garlic is brown, carefully pour the oil mixture into your split peas. (This process is called chunkaying)

6. Whisk the mixture or puree until smooth and add salt to taste (about a tsp)

TIP: If your dhal is too thick you can add hot water until you get to your desired texture.

BANANA WALNUT BREAD

Lucky me! All of my bananas went soft and the skins were starting to turn brown and as I was about to throw them out my hubs ran into the kitchen in slow motion screaming “NOOOOO MAKE BANANA BREAD!!”… ok maybe it wasn’t that dramatic.

I really just wanted to lay in bed and finish dying from this flu, but I pulled out the old recipe book and whipped this up. It’s so good with a lot of butter * I also put cheese on mine, don’t judge me, I love cheese <3*  Man am I glad I thought to make this 😉

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ¹⁄₄ cups sugar
• ¹⁄₂cup butter or ¹⁄₂ cupmargarine, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups mashed very ripe bananas (3-4 medium)
• ¹⁄₂ cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ¹⁄₂ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8X4 inch) loaf pans.
2. In large bowl, mix sugar and butter. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
3. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and nuts (if using) just until moistened. Pour batter into pans.
4. Bake for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool about 1 hour before slicing.

TIP : If you don’t have buttermilk, you can add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes before using in your recipe 🙂

I’m bringing this yummy warm bread toFiesta Friday, a party by Angie of the Novice Gardener. This week it’s co-hosted by the lovely Julianna @Foodie On Board and Hilda @Along The Grapevine

EGGS AND SALTFISH

Hey guys! So I’m still under the weather *bummer* and I find that dishes from my home always make me feel a little better. Today I made a quick breakfast that my mom always made a few times a week.

It’s really just eggs, saltfish *salted cod or bacalao*, sliced onions and a piece of hot pepper *I use habanero*. Boil the fish for a few minutes to remove some of the salt and shred it. Slice the onions and pepper. Add about a tbsp of oil (coconut or vegetable) to frying pan and heat. Sauté onions, saltfish and pepper until lightly browned, add your eggs and stir until cooked through. Serve with avocado slices, roti *flat bread* or wraps and more pepper sauce if you can handle it, my favorite is Berties pepper and pimento sauces. 😋

CHEESY BACON JALAPENO BISCUITS

There will be no conversation, just go to your kitchen and make this. NOW!!!! Thank me later!

Ingredients

• 2 cans of crescent rolls (you can use biscuits too)
• Cheese (Whatever type you like, I used velveeta)
• 12oz or 16oz package of bacon, cooked
• flour for dusting (optional)
• jar of jalapenos

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line your baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface if you don’t want any crescent roll stickage.
2. Unroll one can of crescent rolls (or 1/2 can of biscuits) on your work surface. Using your hands or a rolling pin, press the seams together and lightly press & stretch a little into a nice rectangle. Add a layer of cheese (I like a pretty thick layer, & I use Velveeta because I love how it melts) & then add your layer of bacon and jalapenos. Unroll the remaining can of crescent rolls on top & press all the seems together both on top and all around.
3. Using a pizza cutter or a knife (I prefer a pizza cutter) slice into squares. Place the entire thing on your baking sheet using a large spatula, working in batches if you need to. Lay all the squares right beside each other, just as they were before you sliced it. You want all the cut seams to be touching so that your cheese doesn’t leak out.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top of the crescent rolls are lightly browned. Remove from the oven & cool on a wire rack for 3-5 minutes before digging in. The crescent squares will pull right apart. Serve & enjoy!

I’m bringing this appetizer to the Fiesta Friday #64, hosted by the Amazing A because they are so so so delicious! I know they’ll go fast! Thank you to the wonderful hosts!! ,Ginger & Bread and Safari Of The Mind. 

HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT BACON

OK! Firstly, there is no such thing as imperfect bacon! Bacon is a divine fruit of the universe! I love bacon in any form… plain bacon, peppered bacon, brown sugar and cinnamon bacon, Canadian bacon *we’ll just let that one slide one time*, candied bacon, burnt bacon and I could go on!.. And I will! …Hot bacon, cold bacon, fell on the floor but I’ll eat it anyway bacon 😂😂😂😂 OK I’ll stop now…

I’m sure you’ve probably seen the new craze on the internet about boiling your bacon *gasp!* I was so on the fence about that, but I said to myself ” SELF, if this method produces bacon as an end result, then it could never be wrong!”

So I’ve given it a try andddd its fabulous! The fat renders beautifully *you better save it for some fried chicken!! High five!!!*… the bacon crisps up perfectly and the color is even! If you’re a floppy bacon lover, this might not be for you, but who are we kidding, it’s BACON!

Here’s how to make it, make a single layer of bacon in your pan, don’t overcrowd those precious babies! Put in just enough water to cover them, *you know, a little bird bath action, don’t pretend you have no idea what that is! I’ve got my eye on you!*

Put the pan over a high heat until it starts to boil, then lower to a medium heat. When the water starts drying up go to a low heat and then flip until you get that beautiful color! Easy peasy!