Can't get to the tropics? Make a quick culinary escape with the bold, sweet and spicy flavors of Caribbean Jerk Chicken with Black Bean Mango Salsa! Serve with conventional rice or jerk-spiced rice and you've got a complete, healthy flavor-packed meal!
Reasons you need this herby pea soup and pesto-ham grilled cheese in your life:
1. It’s delicious. The combination of flavors is unreal.
2. It’s cheap. No fancy produce or expensive ingredients required. Everything can be bought for very little cost.
3. It’s quick and easy. Unlike most soups I make, there’s no roasting or anything that takes a lot of time. Sauté and blend. That’s about it.
4. It’s packed with protein. I use bone broth to bulk out the protein from the peas, and the ham and cheese give you even more. And it’s balanced with fats, carbs, and produce, giving you the perfect hearty and well-balanced meal for the end of a long day.
Now the recipe ^^
Pea soup ingredients:
• Olive oil
• Chicken bone broth
• As much butter as you want
• Herbs of your choice (fresh or dried, pretty much everything goes with peas so pick what you like)
• Salt and black pepper
• Onion of your choice (I always go for yellow onion and shallot)
• Lots of garlic (I use a whole bulb because I have problems)
• A lot of peas (~6 cups)
Step 1: Chop your garlic and onion (save the scraps for vegetable stock!), and sauté in a generous drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat.
Step 2: Season garlic and onion with salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. Add peas and butter, and cook until heated through. Cover with broth and blend until smooth.
Grilled cheese ingredients:
• Good white bread (doesn’t have to be fancy, this loaf was $1.99, but fresh baked goes such a long way)
• More butter
• Mayonnaise
• Pesto (homemade is best, but my basil plants haven’t recovered enough from the last batch for me to make more, so store-bought is just fine!)
• Two types of shredded cheese: one for flavor and one for meltiness (I’m a diehard swiss and mozzarella girl)
• Smoked ham slices
Spread a little mayo and a generous bit of pesto on one side of each of two slices of bread. Add one type of cheese to each slice and a few slices of ham to one side. Cook in melted butter over medium heat until the cheese melts, flip the sandwich together, and cook until golden on both sides.
Cut that sandwich in half, ladle up the soup, and dive in :)
Meal Plan: Week 21, 2024 - Cooking Level Unlocked, Spicy Pork, and Delux School Lunches
Unlocked a new level for cooking outside. Building and expanding our outdoor area. Cooking with chicken, shrimp, beef, and pork. Making beef jerky two ways. #mealplan #outdoorkitchen #vikingheartwithin #chickendinner #diyproject
Very easy meal prep (for people who don't like meal prep).
Recipe 1 (top left image) : shishito steak stir fry
Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion
- vegetable oil of choice
- 15-20 shishito peppers
- 5 mushrooms
- 2 cups sliced rare steak
- "everything but elote" powder
- crushed red pepper flakes
- chile powder
- MSG
- Rice
Cut the onion in half and slice into thin strips. Halve the shishito peppers and remove the seeds. Slice the mushrooms. Sautée the onions and mushrooms in oil until the onions start to carmelize and add the shishito peppers. Season the mixture to taste with elote powder, a pinch of MSG, chile powder, and crushed red pepper. Add the sliced steak and sautée until the steak is medium well. Serve over cooked rice. Make 3 servings.
For the next recipes you can a rotisserie chicken. Shred the rotisserie chicken and store it in the fridge.
Recipe 2 (top right image): chicken and mushrooms in Tikka sauce
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup premade Tikka simmer sauce
- 5 mushrooms
- 2 tomatoes
- Vegetable oil of choice
- 1 cup rice
Dice the tomatoes. Sautée the mushrooms and chicken until the mushrooms are soft and the chicken is hot. Pour the sauce over the mushrooms and chicken and add the diced tomatoes. Simmer for 7-10 minutes. Makes 3 servings.
Recipe 3: chicken broccoli lentil bowls
- 1 cup lentils
- 1.5 heads broccoli
- Oil of your choice
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken
- salt
Cook the lentils on the stove or in a rice maker (2.5 cups salted water per one cup lentils for 40 mins for a rice maker). Chop the heads of broccoli into florets , toss in oil and seasonings to taste. Bake the broccoli at 425 for 20-30 minutes (check while it cooks for your preferred doneness) . Once the lentils are done, divide into bowls and top with chicken and broccoli. The bowls are unseasoned so you can season and top with whatever you like. I like curry powder and olive oil or elote seasoning and avocado.
I’ve never devoted a blog about food at any of my destinations traveled before, but was so impressed with the Algarve food that couldn’t skip this one. You will regret it if you don’t pay special attention to the Algarve must-eat meals. I even overcame my prejudices and allergy threats by dipping into South Portuguese cuisine with exotic sauces, gourmet bites, traditional culinary, and…