Welcome!

Hi and thank you for visiting my blog. My name is Tina, I am 42 years old and married to a wonderful man named Robert. I live in the Cleveland, Ohio area with my husband and our two pugs, Koko and Lucy and a special kitty, named Trixie.

I am of Italian decent and love to cook not just for my family but for everyone! I have a lot of weeknight dinner guest and try to keep it casual but delicious! My Mom passed away a few years ago and was my great teacher.

In 2012 I have changed the way I eat. A real lifestyle change to be healthier, eat a nutrient dense diet and remove all processed foods, refined flours and sugars from our diet. I do cook a lot healthier than my Mom did and do a lot more vegetarian meals, poultry and fish. I'm trying to find a way to keep the traditions of family, friends and good food in my house always.

I plan to post my weekly menus, update with new recipes, health information and articles and how to eat mostly organic in an economical way. I will also periodically post personal updates of my journey to regain health and hope.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Jerk!

Tonight's dinner was something I needed to throw together with little in the house. I had left over black beans from last week I wanted to use up, I had chicken and I wanted to try a new corn bread mix. So, I decided on jerk chicken, black beans and rice and corn bread. I also cut up a garden tomato just to add a veggie and some color to the plate. The picture doesn't look so great but I wish you could taste it. Very yummy!

Jerk Chicken Marinade
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice of a lime
1/4 brown sugar
1 jalapeno
pinch of cayenne
1 tsp. allspice
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. rosemary

Marinate chicken for at least one hour and up to overnight. Grill until juices run clear.

This was enough marinade for three boneless skinless chicken breast. I cut each breast in half to make 6 pieces of chicken.

Black Beans and Rice
3 cups steamed white rice
3 cups cooked black beans (see post below for recipe)
1/2 onion, diced fine
salt and pepper

In a large skillet saute onion in olive oil, add beans and rice and combine together.

The corn bread wasn't great. I am trying to find the exact recipe that taste like cornbread we had in Amish country. Today's attempt was something I heard from our waitress at The Barn restaurant on a recent visit. She told us they mixed their cornbread with yellow cake mix. I used one recipe (per box directions) of corn bread mix and one yellow cake mix. This worked out pretty well...but it tasted a lot more like cake than it did cornbread. So I am going to attempt again and make both the corn bread batter and from scratch yellow cake mix and do equal parts of each. I will surely report back.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmm. Beans and rice have become a favorite quick recipe for my daughter and I for a while. You'd probably call it cheating, here's the quick recipe I use:

1 cup leftover cooked rice
1 can beans (I like black), drained and rinsed
Salsa (your favorite brand/flavor)
Cumin to taste
Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream (optional, for serving)

Mix together beans and rice. Add enough salsa to bind together, heat in microwave and stir. Add cumin to taste (start with 1/2 tsp. and adjust to your taste). Serve with cheese and salsa for toping.

--Lisa
http://takeitleaveit.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Hey There Tina,
I have never made Jerk Chicken . Going to have to give it a try. Looks good. We have a place here in Atlanta that serves Jerk chicken with Black beans and rice . It is delish.
Visit me at:
http://birdfood-sharona.blogspot.com/
Sharona May

Rasa Malaysia said...

I love jerk chicken so much and was in Jamaica on a vacation...I was eating it every day without fail and wanted more! Great recipe, thanks. :)

Anonymous said...

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-Autumn

from Juice Bar

Anonymous said...

Hi! I love your website so much! Please visit mine sometime. I even tagged your site on mine! Bye!!!
-Autumn

from Juice Bar