Cravin' Caribbean

I recently had a guest over for dinner who's from Aruba. So I decided to come up with a Caribbean-inspired meal that's not only healthy but hearty. Everyone loved it so much that I decided it's time to revisit my blog. Sorry it's been so long! The great thing about these recipes is they are extremely simply and you can switch out the ingredients. Use any fish you like. And if you don't like coconut milk, try buttermilk -- still a nutritious alternative despite the bad wrap it usually gets. But, of course, that takes away the "Caribbean" feel.

Baked Coconut Fish

Ingredients:

2 filets of flounder (or whatever white fish you prefer)

1 can coconut milk (I do not suggest "lite" coconut milk - trust me)

2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder (optional)

2 cups crusty bread, sliced and lightly toasted

fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)

**Tip: This is a great way to use up an old loaf of bread that's beginning to grow stale.

Directions:

Heat oven to 375.

In a bowl, mix together the coconut milk and chipotle chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. Add fish. Or you can place the fish in a large ziplock bag and pour the coconut milk mixture over it. Make sure the fish is totally covered in milk. Let this sit for about 30 minutes. Meantime, put the bread, garlic and a couple handfuls of parsley in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Then pulse until it becomes a bread crumb mixture. (sometimes I like to add a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil so that it sticks together) Take the fish out of the marinade and shake off the excess milk. Place on a baking sheet. Pile the bread crumb mixture on top of the fish. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the size of the filets). While the fish is baking, toast the almonds. When the fish is done sprinkle them on top (but save some for the risotto!!).

 

 

Coconut Risotto

Ingredients:

1 cup Jasmine rice

2-3 tablespoons butter

1.5 cans of chicken stock (try low sodium so you can control the salt)

1 can coconut milk

half a yellow or white onion, diced

Directions:

Put a medium-sized pot on medium heat. Add the butter and the onion and let it sweat a few minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the rice and stir to coat with butter. Season again and saute for a couple minutes. Add about half a can of chicken stock and stir. Keep stirring until stock is absorbed. Add the rest of that can and stir. Again, keep stirring until stock is absorbed. Add the rest of the stock (another half can) and stir. Keep stirring. At this point, taste the rice. It should be nearly done with just a bit of firmness. Now add the entire can of coconut milk and stir. Keep stirring. Yes, you must babysit this dish. But, other than stirring, there's not much to it. The risotto is done when the milk reduces by about half. The rice should look creamy, not soupy. Be sure to give it a taste. If it's still not done, try adding more water (a 1/4 cup at a time) and keep stirring. But you don't want the rice to be gummy. When serving, sprinkle with the remaining toasted almonds. (This really makes the dish, if you ask me!!)

**Tip: I made these two dishes with roasted asparagus. Super simple: just spread them out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake at the same temperature as the fish for about 20 minutes.

Creamy Tomato Chicken and Rice

I got the idea for this recipe from a food network show. I changed several ingredients and added the "Creamy" element, and voila! Another Phelps favorite was born. It's a really hearty dish that's great for a cold day.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, each sliced in half to make 4 thin cutlets

about 1/2 cup flour to dredge the chicken in

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup beef broth

1 (14 oz.) can roasted tomatoes

4-5 oz. cream cheese

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Salt and pepper the chicken. Dredge each cutlet in flour and shake off the excess. In a large skillet add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and brown the chicken over medium heat. Remove the chicken just before it's done and place it on a plate. Cover with tin foil and it will finish cooking. To the same skillet add more oil, then add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Let the veggies soften a few minutes, then add tomato paste. Let that cook a couple minutes. Then add wine to deglaze the pan. Let that reduce a few minutes then add beef broth and tomatoes (undrained). When it starts to simmer, stir in the cream cheese and butter. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve over rice with the sliced chicken on top.

Try this: To sneak more vegetables into this dish, you can add chopped carrots (just add them when you add the other veggies). Also, you can stir in some frozen spinach (thawed and drained) at the end.

Southwest Chicken Chili

Where I live in North Carolina, the next several days are going to be cold. It's perfect weather for a big pot of chili. And I make mine a little differently. Mine has chicken, black beans, corn and roasted tomatoes. I almost won a chili cookoff with it. But my co-worker, the culinary genius we'll call "Mr. H," took home first prize with his delicious recipe. Oh well. (honestly, at a chili cookoff, everyone is a winner because everyone gets to taste awesome chili!!) I think you'll find this recipe is a winner in your home.

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts (depending on how big they are)
a 15 oz. can of tomato soup
a 15 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes
a 15 oz. can of black beans (drain most of liquid, but not all)
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
2-3 tablespoons chili powder
1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (for cooking chicken)

Directions:
Heat a large sauce pot over medium heat. While it's heating up, season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, and a little chili powder. Brown chicken until it's mostly done, then remove from pot and set aside. (It will finish cooking when you put it back in the pot later) If needed, circle the pot again with more olive oil, turn heat down to medium-low, and add garlic, onion, red bell pepper, corn, oregano and red pepper flakes. Season veggies with salt and pepper and cook until soft. Then add tomato soup, tomatoes, black beans and the rest of the chili powder. (Use your taste buds to determine if you need more chili powder. I usually add more. You want it to taste more like chili than tomato soup.) Season with more salt and pepper if needed. While that simmers, chop chicken into bite-size pieces. Add that to the pot, once you're happy with the taste of the chili. Let simmer on low for a few more minutes then serve.
Try this: Top each bowl of chili with cheddar cheese and sour cream. Serve with a slice of crusty bread on the side.

MmmMmm Mac 'n Cheese

I tried this recipe on my family this Christmas and everyone told me they loved it. Well, everyone except my aunt. I'm sure she liked it, but she claims her mac 'n chees is better. Her dish is certainly tasty, but she got hers from the food network. My recipe is orginial. (so there, Aunt Sharon!) Of course, most mac 'n cheese is essentially the same. I just picked some of my favorite cheeses. Feel free to substitute these ingredients with your favorite cheeses. But if you've never had fontina, give it a try. I think you'll love it!

Ingredients:

1 box macaroni noodles

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons butter

2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 to 3 cups milk

about 1 cup bread crumbs

2 big handfuls shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 big handfuls shredded fontina cheese

2 big handfuls shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water liberally. Toss in the pasta and let it cook until al dente and drain. In a medium sauce pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Let the mixture cook for a couple minutes, then whisk in milk. Let sauce simmer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken a little. Season with salt and pepper. Then pour in one handful each of the cheddar, fontina and parmesan. Stir the sauce until all the cheese is melted. Mix the pasta with the cheese sauce and taste test it. You may need to add more salt at this point. Then spread it into a greased baking dish.

Topping:

In a smaller sauce pot, melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter and pour in the bread crumbs. Stir until all the bread crumbs are coated in butter. (the bread crumbs should still be relatively dry, not wet) Sprinkle bread crumbs over the macaroni. Then sprinkle the remaining handfuls of cheddar, fontina and parmesan on top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top starts to brown.

Try this: Sprinkle some chopped, cooked bacon on top with the bread crumbs and cheese.

Garlic & Basil Roasted Chicken

I used to make the mistake of buying fresh basil in the store and it always went bad before I could use all of it. So I decided to try basil in a tube. You can find it in the produce section where they keep the bagged lettuce. Surprisingly, it's not bad. In fact, it's perfect for this recipe. And it lasts a lot longer. You can put the cap back on, and store it in the fridge up to six months.

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
3-4 tablespoons basil (from a tube)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the basil, garlic and oil in a bowl with a dash of salt and pepper. Then liberally salt and pepper the chicken. Separate the skin of the chicken from the meat with your fingers. You want to create a pocket. Stuff the garlic and herb mixture under the skin with your hands. Heat an oven-safe skillet on the stove with a little olive oil in it over medium-high heat. Place the chicken skin side down in the skillet. the chicken should sizzle as soon as it hits the pan. Let the skin crisp (about 3 minutes) then pop the skillet in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the juices run clear.
Try it with: garlic-parmesan mashed potatoes.

Mama's Sweet Slaw

My mother gave me this recipe and I absolutely love it. It's super easy (only takes about 10 minutes) and delicious. And it's a great alternative for people who don't like mayo. Plus, in my humble opinion, this dish is really great the next day. So you could make it the day before a party and stress less.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 cup white vinegar

1 package ramen noodles (chicken flavor)

1 small package slivered almonds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2-3 green onions, chopped

1 package cole slaw mix

Directions:

Turn your oven to broil. Before opening the ramen noodles package, break up the noodles as much as possible in the package. You want them to be in tiny pieces. In a small bowl, mix oil, sugar, vinegar, and the seasoning packet from the ramen noodles. Set aside. In a bigger bowl, combine cole slaw mix, green onions and sunflowers seeds. Pour the broken ramen noodles (uncooked) on a cookie sheet along with the almonds. Broil them until golden brown. Be sure to watch them carefully because this only takes a few minutes. When the noodles and almonds are done, add them to the cole slaw mix. Then pour in the oil and vinegar mixture and mix together so everything is evenly coated. Be sure to do this when the noodles are hot.

Try it with: burgers, barbecue, sandwiches, or anything else you would normally eat with cole slaw.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

My husband Daniel thinks I should jar this stuff and sell it. He loves it so much that one batch lasts less than a day. It's fresh, sweet and has a little zing at the end from the chipotle chiles. The recipe sounds complicated, but it's really just a little chopping and dropping and then letting everything simmer. It takes less than half an hour to make. Try it at your next gathering. I'd be surprised if there are any leftovers.

Ingredients:
1-2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped (seeds removed)
1 tablespoon honey
juice of one lime
2-3 tablespoons butter
half a red onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 cup corn kernels (frozen)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
half a teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
half a teaspoon paprika
half of a 15 oz. can of black beans (with liquid mostly drained)
1 15 oz. can roasted tomatoes (do not drain)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:
In a small sauce pan, bring about 2 cups of water to a simmer. Add chipotle chiles, honey and lime juice. Let it reduce by about half. Meanwhile, in a larger pot, melt about 2 tablespoon of butter (or oil if you prefer) over medium heat. Add corn and let it get brown around the edges. Reduce heat a little and add garlic, onion, red bell pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper (to taste). If the pot is a little too dry, just add another pad of butter or another splash of oil. Let all the veggies soften (3 to 5 minutes), then add the tomatoes and the black beans. Bring to a simmer. Now take the chiles and the liquid in the smaller pot and add it to the larger pot. Let it all simmer together until the liquid has reduced by about half. Then, add the vinegar and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

Optional: You can also stir in some chopped cilantro at the end.

Try this: This salsa is delicious on top of a piece of breaded and fried fish fillet. I like to add a little chili powder and lime zest to the bread crumbs. Dunk the fish in egg, then in the bread crumbs and pan fry it. Then pour the salsa on top and enjoy. Yummy!

Made with love from the Phelps kitchen.