Using Up that Marinara Sauce Caribbean Style!

It's pretty warm up here for fall and I had some Marinara Sauce in the fridge so I decided to make Caribbean Curry for dinner. I left out the cauliflower since hubby's not a fan and it turned out delicious! Curry and pineapple is such a great combo and definitely tasted tropical!

Nothing Run Down about THIS Rundown!

I had no idea what Rundown was when I came across recipe for Curry Crab Rundown. Apparently it's a Caribbean dish featuring seafood simmered in a spicy coconut sauce. Hey, there's nothing I don't love about the sound of that! I used Imitation crabmeat instead since my hubby loves it and served it over some Coconut Rice. All the flavors were amazing together and we definitely loved it!

Welcome to Jamaica Mon!

We took a yummy trip to Jamaica with this Pork and Mango Stir-Fry served over Coconut Rice. If you've never made Coconut Rice before, you NEED to give it a try! All you have to do is substitute half of the water with Unsweetened Coconut Milk and add a little bit more water is your Coconut Milk is super thick. It makes SUCH a difference and the rice becomes so creamy and delicious! Now back to the pork. The sweetness of the mango paired so well with the spicy Jerk Seasoning! A VERY yummy dinner MON!

Another Yummy Caribbean Dinner!

Last week's Caribbean Mango Chicken was so yummy that I decided to make something similar with pork. I rarely get to use my Jerk Seasoning and thought it would be perfect in this dish. I LOVE the combination of spicy and sweet and it tasted so exotic! To keep the pork tender and moist, I dredged it in some cornstarch first. (It's a trick I learned from making Asian Stir-fries.) I served the pork with some couscous and it was an easy and super flavorful dinner!

Ingredients:


2 boneless pork loin chops, cut into bite-size pieces
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Caribbean jerk seasoning blend
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 c orange juice
1 tsp jalapeño pepper sauce (I used Tabasco)


Prep:


1. In a bowl, toss the pork with cornstarch. Set aside.


2. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add pork and Jerk Seasoning. Brown 3 minutes and stir. Cook 3 more minutes. Add mango and stir. Cook 5 minutes or just until pork is no longer pink.


2. Stir in orange juice and pepper sauce. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

Going Caribbean with my Chicken!

Mangos went on super sale this week and I remembered saving this recipe for Caribbean Chicken with Mango Coconut Sauce from McCormick. I LOVE the sweet and savory flavor combo in this dish! It tasted so exotic with the mango and coconut and I'm sure using fresh mango definitely tasted better than frozen. The sauce was rich and full of flavor and tasted like a trip to the Caribbean. Not bad on a weeknight huh?

Welcome to Jamaica "Mon"!

I love trying out new cuisines and the one I haven't had too much experience with is Caribbean. I don't know why since according to Wikipedia, Caribbean Cuisine is a fusion of lots of cuisines including African, Chinese and Indian, which I make all the time. Anyway, I bought some Jamaican Jerk Seasoning at our corner store the other day and decided to experiment with it on some pork chops. I'm sure this recipe isn't authentic at all but the sweet and spicy flavors along with the Tropical Fruit reminded me of the Island and that screams "Jamaica" for me! I also loved the coconut rice, which is just regular white rice cooked in some Coconut Milk along with water.

Ingredients:


2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
2 bone-in pork chops
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 (4 oz) Tropical Fruit Cup, undrained
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Coconut rice, for serving


Prep:


1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine flour and Jamaican jerk seasoning. Add chops and shake to coat.


2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add chops and brown 5 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm.


3. Turn heat down to medium and add onion. Cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, brown sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits.


4. Return chops to skillet and add fruit along with juice. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chops are done.


5. Remove chops to serving platter. Turn heat up to high. Add butter and boil until thickened, 5 minutes. Pour sauce over chops and serve with coconut rice.