Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wrap

The thought of Jamaican food brings the following things to mind - baked chicken wings, cabbage, jerk seasoning, or beans.  Jerk seasoning is made from a combination of some key ingredients of which the end result is always spicy! I used a ready made paste which made things much quicker.  Instead of baking them, I used a slow cooker to cook them.   

Method and Ingredients:

4 to 6 Slow cooked chicken wings

1 to 2 tablespoons of jerk seasonings

2 Tortillas

1/2 cup black beans, rinsed, drained

Red onion

Tomato

Grilled zucchini (1/2 of a zucchini)

Grilled cabbage (1/4 cabbage)

Four cheese blend

Garnish: Green onions and cilantro

Sour cream (optional)

Chipotle dressing (optional)

1. Chop some cabbage and zucchini in big chunks. Heat butter and add the cabbage and zucchini. Spread it out without overcrowding it. Cover and let cook on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove lid - add salt and black pepper. Cook uncovered for another 2 to 3 minutes or until cabbage and zucchini is cooked. It should be a bit crunchy (we are using this as a replacement for lettuce in the wrap). Let come to room temperature before making the wrap.

2. I cooked my chicken wings in a slow cooker. Wash and pat dry the chicken wings. Drizzle olive oil and coat with the jerk seasoning generously.  Add a little water.  Cover and cook until chicken wings are cooked and tender (falling off the bones). Let come to room temperature before making the wrap.

3. Assemble your wrap - Set tortilla on a plate.  Start filling the wrap - chicken (debone and skinned), then the cabbage, and zucchini, black beans, cheese, pinch of chopped cilantro and green onions, chopped red onion and chopped tomatoes.  I also added a little bit of jerk seasoning water that remained in the slow cooker.  If it is too watery, you can choose to thicken it (see below) and then use it as a dressing.

4. We are ready to lightly grill the burrito once its assembled and wrapped. I used George Foreman grill to slighly give it a grilled taste/look. You can do it on a skillet as well.

Serve with a side of sour cream or chipotle dressing.

Note:

1. I used the following ready made jerk seasoning. There are several options available at your local grocery stores.

2. To thicken the leftover juices, heat pan, add butter, add a tsp or two of all purpose flour and mix vigorously with the butter. Add the juices slowly to the pan and keep whisking.  Let reduce by leaving the pan uncovered and cooking on low flame.  The sauce will thicken. You can use this as a dressing inside the the burrito.

Desi Toast

An Indianized version of French Toast!

1 Multigrain Brown Bread

1 Extra large Egg or 1 medium eggs, cracked open and beaten

1/2 to 1 tbsp finely diced onion
1/2 to 1 tbsp finely diced tomato
Some cilantro, finely chopped
Some green chilli, finely chopped (as per your spice level)
Salt and Black pepper
Cajun seasoning (optional)

1. Beat the egg or eggs in a bowl. Add salt and black pepper and mix. 

2. Add the onion, tomato, chilli, and cilantro. Mix well.

3. Pour the mixture out on a flat plate.

4. Dip the bread and let the egg soak into the bread. Flip and do the same.

5. You will have some egg mixture remaining on the plate.
6. Heat oil in a frying pan.  Add oil. When hot, add half of the remaining egg mixture that may be leftover on the plate. Quickly add the bread.  Keep the heat on low to med and let cook for few minutes.
7. Before flipping for the other side of the cook, add any remainder of egg mixture to the pan.  Flip the bread ie the uncooked side down. Let cook for a few minutes.
8. Press down on the toast with a spatula to flatten it out a bit. 
9. Add cajun seasoning on the top for a smoky flavor (Optional)
10. Serve with mint chutney on the side and avocado as a garnish.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

4 Chicken thighs
1 tbsp dried rosemary
4 cloves of garlic (or more)
1/2 cup Sherry cooking wine
1 tsp each of ginger paste and garlic paste
Juice of half of a lemon plus 4 more lemon slices cut in rounds
Half of a big red onion, cut in squares
Dash of paprika
Salt/Black Pepper
Butter
7 oz Cannelini beans

1. Clean the chicken first by skinning it, washing it and then patting it dry.  Poke the chicken with a knife to allow the marinate to go through.  Marinate the chicken with a little olive oil, garlic and ginger paste, salt and black pepper. Leave in the fridge for 4 hours.
2. Next , we are going to sear the chicken a little.  Heat olive oil in skillet.  Use a skillet where you can continue to make the sauce after removing the chicken.  When oil is hot, add the chicken thigh (bone side up), sear for 3 minutes. Flip and sear for another 3 minutes. Set aside.
3.  What is left in the pan now is call the drippings of the chicken/chicken fat.  Add some butter and when melted, crush the rosemary in the palm of your hands and add to the butter.  Stir for a minute or two until aromatic.  After you have peeled the garlic, crush it with the palm of your hand and add to the pan. Let brown just a little. 
4. Add the cooking wine 1/4 cup at a time until you finish all of the 1/2 cup.   Using a spatula pick up the drippings from pan with the help of the wine (this is called deglazing).  Pour juice of the lemon and keep stirring as the sauce thickens and wine evaporates.  Season with salt and black pepper.
5.  We are ready to assemble the chicken in our slow cooker. Stack the chicken up in the slow cooker.  Pour the sauce we made all over the chicken. Add the onions. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. 
6. In the last 20 minutes of the cooking,  sprinkle some paprika and add the rinsed canned cannelini beans to the pot. 

When serving, pour the sauce over the chicken for extra juiciness.  If the sauce is too thick and runny, take the sauce out in a pan and let cook uncovered on low heat until it thickens a little (Skim the beans out)

Kickin Chickin

Sometimes, simple can be so good.  I use a lot of spices (ready made ones) and I thought it would be a good category to have for those who sometimes just want something quick and easy!

I am in love with Weber spices.  So far, I have tried their Cajun and Kick'N Chicken seasoning and I like it a lot. Now this one is a kicker i.e Spicy  The red pepper flakes really get to your taste buds. But if your pair it with a bland rice recipe, it goes perfect together!

Here is a link to their website: http://www.spiceadvice.com/weber/product-info.php  You think they would pay me for being their spokeswoman? Wouldn't that be nice - well in the meanwhile here is a quick fixer upper dinner idea!

Ingredients:
1 medium chicken breast, butterfly cut and pounded
1/4 cup flour (wheat or all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp each of garlic and ginger paste
1/2 tsp lime juice
Weber Kick N Chicken Seasoning
Salt/Black pepper (use sparingly because the spice is a little salty)

Method:
Wash and pat dry the chicken.  Butterfly cut the chicken breast and then pound it lightly with a mallet.  See http://slurpnburp-mithu.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to_02.html for details.

Drizzle some olive oil over the chicken.  Add some salt, some black pepper, the ginger and garlic paste and lime juice and let marinate for atleast 15 minutes. 

Add the flour to a flat plate so it is easy to dredge the chicken.  Coat the chicken with flour on both sides and dust the excess off. 

Heat oil in a deep bottom skillet and keep the flame on medium high.  When hot, add the chicken and let cook uncovered!! Cook for 3 to 4 minutes flip and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Now sprinkle the seasoning onto the chicken.  Quantity depends on how strong of a KICK you would like.  I would just give about three shakes on each side.  Sprinkle on one side and flip the chicken right away and let sit for a minute.  Sprinkle again on the side that is facing up, flip and let sit for another minute. 

Remove from the pan and serve hot with a side of rice, pasta, and/or veggies.

Remember that all meats continue to cook even after taken out of the pan. So do not overcook your meat - especially chicken breasts and especially those that are butterflied and pounded cook faster than chicken thighs or other red meat.

Doodhi Ambat - Bottlegourd in tangy coconut sauce

Ambat batat or tangy potato is a very simple dish cooked in many Maharastrian households in India especially during religious festivals.  Generally, a fresh coconut is used and ground with spices which acts as the curry base.  It is quite a rich dish.  Here, I have used Doodhi or bottle gourd instead of potatoes.  Bottle gourd is found in Indian grocery stores.  Also, I used coconut milk instead of fresh coconut.  That did reduce the taste level a bit - but I did not have access to fresh coconut or shredded frozen coconut.  If you do have the latter, you can use the fresh coconut, grind it with some water and tamarind and use this instead of coconut milk.

Method and Ingredients:

2 cups of chopped doodhi/lauki (cut in big chunks)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 or 2 red chillies
1/2 tsp mustard seeds or rai
Dash of hing or asofoetida
1/2 tsp each of turmeric, coriander, and cumin powder
3/4 to 1 tsp of tamarind pulp
Salt and sugar to taste

1. Prepping the doodhi: Wash the doodhi. Peel the outer skin with a peeler.  Cut the doodhi into half. The inner core of this vegetable (pulp and seeds) ages over time.  If the seeds appear translucent and thin, leave the pulp and seeds in.  Alternatively you can scoop out the inner core.  Chop the doodhi in big chunks as shown in the finished dish.

2. Heat some oil in a deep bottom skillet.  When hot add the mustard seeds and dried red chillies. When they sputter, add a dash of hing.  Add the doodhi right away.  Turn the flame to medium.  Sautee and let cook for 3 minutes. Now add the turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt, and sugar. Mix well and cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.  Give it a stir a few times to ensure that it is not burning.

3.  While the doodhi is cooking, mix the coconut milk with tamarind pulp and mix vigourously so there are no clumps in the mixture.  Add this mixture to the doodhi and stir well.  Keep the flame low and keep stirring for another few minutes.  

Serve with roti or rice.

Slow Cooked Harissa Chicken

Do you own a slow cooker?! No?! Well, if your answer is no, it is truly time to research and invest in one.  On your lazy winter days, these come out really handy.  One can make hearty steamy soups or slow cooked bbq chicken or even Dum aloo!

Here I have made "my" adaptation of Harissa Chicken. Harissa spice is native to Africa and Middle East. We have been going to this Moroccan restaurant in Delaware for ages now. And they make the meanest Harissa Chicken. My hubby and I have tried many versions of this recipe and even imported a homemade Harissa sauce from Morocco! No kidding!

After looking at some recipes online, I realized there are so many different ways to make Harissa sauce.  Harissa utilizes a special red chilli or the Harissa chilli. I did not Harissa chillies on hand so I just used red chilli powder. I would also recommend dry grinding red chillies and using that powder. It turned out pretty good and close to the real deal!

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs

Marinade:
Some oil
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp caraway seeds (coarsely powdered)
Dash of paprika powder
Salt/Black pepper
3/4 cup Herdez Salsa Ranchera

Method:

Wash and pat dry really well. Season with salt and black pepper.  In a small  bowl, add oil, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, caraway powder, paprika and salsa ranchera. Mix well and apply it to the thighs. Rub well and let sit. You will find that the mixture will leave some water.  Using a paper towel dab any water that eventually comes out.  The Salsa Ranchera I used is store bought. I am not sure if the recipe will taste same if you use other salsas. The way this salsa was ground (pasty) as opposed to chunky and it gave a similar texture to the chicken sauce as the restaurant kind.  You can either leave this marinated chicken for a few hours in the fridge and then start to cook it. If you are pressed for time, add it directly to a slow cooker on slow setting for 6 hours or so.  Every slow cooker is different, so review the settings specific to your cooker.


Note:
My chicken turned up a little watery despite adding no water to the slow cooker! If you want the sauce thicker, remove the chicken pieces out, and pour the sauce on a flat bottom pan. Turn the heat up high and let the water evaporate. We did not mind the watery sauce, actually, because it went well with the brown rice pilaf I served on the side!

Pasta Salad

3 cups of Rotini pasta
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup low fat mayo
1/2 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
Some olive oil 
Dash of garlic powder, italian dressing, salt, black pepper
Cajun powder (optional)
Maggi chilli garlic sauce (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain the pasta in a colander.  Soak the frozen veggies in water and cook the veggies for 5 to 8 minutes in a microwave and drain.  Rinse and drain the precooked black beans. Make sure the veggies and pasta are completely dry of any water. You can set it aside for a few minutes in a colander to ensure they are dry. 

In a big mixing bowl, beat mayonnaise with some olive oil.  It should turn smooth and creamy. Add the italian dressing and all other seasonings.  Beat again.  Add the pasta, veggies, and beans and mix well till its well coated. 

You can add shaved or shredded parmesan cheese on the top.  Serve as a side dish.

Garlic Cilantro Chicken Kabobs

1.5 chicken breast, cut into kabob size pieces
1/2 tsp ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Dash of paprika
1 green chilli
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, fresh

Skewer sticks

Wash and pat dry. Sprinkle some salt, paprika, turmeric and meat tenderizer. Meat Tenderizers are very salty so be careful when you add the salt. In a small food processor, combine the ginger, garlic, green chilli, and coriander leaves. Drizzle some olive oil and blend (either coarsely or to a fine paste).  Rub the mixture on the chicken pieces. Set aside in a fridge for 2 to 4 hours before grilling. 

Dip the skewer sticks in water for a while.  Thread the kabob pieces into the skewers. Preheat the grill to 400F.  Grill the skewers for about 8 to 10 minutes. Do not forget to turn the skewers so every side sits on the grill.  Remember that chicken breast cooks relatively faster than thighs or other meat and it continues to cook even after taken out of the grill.  When ready remove the kabobs and wrap them tightly in a foil. Let sit for a few minutes before serving. 

Note:
The time suggested is just a guide. Make sure you check the chicken pieces for doneness by: poking a fork in to see if the meat has turned white on the inside which suggests that its cooked or using a meat thermometer check if the internal food temperature is at 165F.

I added 1 tsp garlic and it was too strong. If you like the garlicky taste increase from 1/2 to 1 tsp.

Arroz y Habichuelas in Taco Sazon - Rice and Beans in Taco Seasoning

1 small onion, finely diced
1 medium tomato, finely diced
1 Bay leaf
1 to 2 tsp Taco Seasoning (I used McCormicks)
Pinch of Goya Sazon
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of salt, black pepper, and Italian spices
5 oz Pink Kidney Beans
1/2 tsp turmeric and cumin powder, each
3/4 cup cooked brown rice

Heat oil.  Add the bay leaf.  Add the onions and sautee till translucent. Add the finely diced tomatoes.  Add the cooked brown rice and sautee well.  Add the taco seasoning, garlic powder, goya sazon, black pepper, italian spice mixture, turmeric, and cumin powder.  Sautee well for 2 to 3 minutes on high heat.  Add the pink kidney beans.  Mix well and cook for another minute.  Voila!!! Dish is ready to eat!

Note: The taco seasoning and the goya sazon are both a bit salty. You may want to add the salt at the table depending on personal taste.

Black Beans

1 14 oz can of black beans
1/2 tsp of finely chopped garlic
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne or paprika to taste
1/8 c shredded mexican four cheese

Drain the black beans and put them in a colander.  Run water on the beans while they are in the colander.  Set aside. Heat some olive oil in a flat pan.  Add about 1/2 tsp of finely chopped garlic and roast for 1 minute or two.  Add the drained black beans to the pan.  Add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper or paprika.  Toss for 2 minutes or so.  Throw the shredded cheese all over the beans so as to cover them.  Turn the flame off and put a lid on them. Let the cheese melt on its own.  Serve hot!