Cilantro Lime Turkey Breast

Turkey does not have to be eaten just once a year!

Ingredients:

2lbs turkey breast

One bunch of cilantro (cut into strings)

One lime and its zest

½ tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. salt

1 tbsp. honey (raw)

Poultry seasoning

½ of a red bell pepper (thick cut length wise)

½ of a green bell pepper (thick cut length wise)

2 carrots (thick cut length wise)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 spring onions

1 sprig of thyme

¼ cup olive oil, plus 1 tsp. for sautéing

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette:

In a small mason jar combine one handful of cilantro, one whole lime and zest, honey, black pepper, salt and olive oil. Shake jar until all ingredients are combined.

Method:

Pre-heat your oven at 345 degrees.  Wash turkey breast, pat dry and place into baking dish of your choice. Season with poultry seasoning, black pepper, salt and cilantro-lime vinaigrette and place in oven to bake for 40 minutes or until juice runs clear. In a medium sauce pan, add 1 tsp. of olive oil and heat on medium heat.  Add bell peppers, spring onions, carrots, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sautee until your veggies are coated and almost translucent. Serve with white rice and your favorite drinks.

Transform your Turkey from boring to Exciting!

Jamaican Curry Goat

No need to be afraid…….it’s just the other red meat!

Ingredients:

3 lb. Goat Meat (cut up in bite size pieces)

1 Large Onion (chopped)

2 cloves Garlic (chopped)

1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper (chopped and seeded)

4 oz. Jamaican Curry Powder

1 oz. Cooking Oil

1 oz. Ground Black Pepper

2 tbsp. Salt

4 sprig. Thyme

1/2 oz. Vinegar

6 Pimento Seeds (Allspice)

 

Goat can be cooked in many different ways. You can stew it, barbecue it, roast it, pot roast it, etc., etc., etc., but the one popular style of cooking goat in the Caribbean for any occasion is… you guessed it… Curry!

Method:

Wash goat meat with vinegar and water. If you do not have vinegar, you can always use lemon juice as a substitue.  Rub in all the season with goat meat and let it sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight. The longer the meat sits, the more it marinates and the better the taste once cooked.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and then remove the seasoning from the goat meat.

In a saucepan, heat the oil on high until it smells. Add 1 oz. curry powder to the hot oil. Stir curry powder in oil until the color starts to change.

Put the goat meat in the saucepan now. Stir the meat in the hot oil for two minutes; be careful not to burn the meat.

Add 1 oz. water to the pot, keep stirring until the meat looks like the muscles are tightening up.

Now turn down the heat to medium and add 2 cups of water or beef broth (adds more flavor) to the meat in the saucepan. Cover the pot and let this stew simmer for 20 minutes. Check on the meat in the pot, stir again and add water to cover the meat.

Simmer for another 20 minutes, and then check to see if the meat is medium soft.

If it is so, add the seasoning you removed earlier to the pot. Let the stew simmer for another 15 minutes on a slightly lower heat (between medium and low).

(Optional) You can add potatoes and carrots to the pot the same time you add the seasoning. You can also add a cornstarch and water mix to thicken.

Note : Although this is a stew, it should not be dominated by watery type gravy. You should make this stew cook until most of the water is evaporated, and let the fat from the goat flavor the stew.

It takes practice and trial and error sometimes to get a perfect Curry Goat, so don’t give up on your first try.

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

Sometimes you just have to go back home for Comfort!

What You Need:

3 pounds Oxtails, cut into segments by a butcher

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 Spanish onions, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 Scotch bonnet pepper, whole

3 sprigs fresh thyme

12 allspice berries

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped

2 tablespoons white sugar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1 cup butter beans, or a 10.5-ounce can butter beans, rinsed and drained

Note: There are many ways to cook oxtail. One way that I found that was really great was switching out the water for Beef Broth instead. It makes a richer sauce.

What to do:

1. Season oxtails aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add brown sugar to pot and melt, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it darkens and starts to smoke ­— about six minutes. When sugar is nearly black, add 2 tablespoons boiling water. (It will splatter.) Stir to mix.

2. Add the oxtails to the pot, working in batches, stirring each time to cover them with blackened sugar, then allowing them to cook, turning occasionally, until they are well browned. Remove oxtails to a bowl and keep warm.

3. Add half of the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with the pepper, the thyme, the allspice and a third of the scallions, and stir to combine. Allow to cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes.

4. Return the oxtails to the pot along with any accumulated juices and put water into the pot so that the oxtails are almost submerged. Bring to a simmer and then cook, covered, approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

5. Add remaining onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with another third of the scallions. Add sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and continue to cook until the meat is yielding and loose on the bone, approximately one hour longer. Remove approximately one cup of liquid from pot and place in a small bowl. Add flour to this liquid and stir to combine, working out any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add this slurry to the pot along with ketchup, then stir to combine and allow to cook a further 15 minutes or so. Remove Scotch bonnet pepper and thyme stems. Fold butter beans into the stew and allow these to heat through. Scatter remaining scallions over the top. Serve with white rice or rice and peas.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill.

Flank Steak with Red Wine Reduction

My husband is a BIG meat lover, so for dinner and before he headed off to work, I decided to whip up a quick meal that was healthy and packed full of protein.  He was too excited when he found out what he was having for dinner!

Flank Steak with Red Wine Reduction Serving Size: 2 people

What you will need:

2 4oz. Steaks

1tbsp. Steak Seasoning

½ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Pepper

1 tbsp. Paprika

½ cup of White Rice

1 cup of Water

*Your Favorite Vegetables

What to do:

Grill steaks to preferred tenderness. Place steaks on a plate and cover with aluminum foil. (This is called resting. This will allow the steak to finish cooking and gather all of its juices. Whatever you do, DO NOT cut into your steaks until you are ready to serve.) Bring ½ cup of rice and 1 cup of water to a steady boil. Check rice until it is cooked. Proceed with Red Wine Sauce. Directions are below.

 

Red Wine Reduction Sauce

What you will need:

½ cup of Red Wine (preferably Malbec/your favorite red wine)

½ cup of Balsamic Vinegar/glaze

¼ cup of Raw Honey

½ stick of butter (salted/unsalted)

What to do:

Bring all condiments to a steady boil. Once the liquid comes to a steady boil, remove sauce from the heat and stir to remove the steam from saucepan. Once most of the steam is gone, place the sauce back on the heat and bring it back to a steady boil. You will need to do this for about 20-30 minutes. Combine the remaining ingredients, which would be the butter and stir until sauce is thickened. Pour sauce over steak. Serve with Mashed Potatoes and your favorite side of veggies.

Happy Camper!